AUTHOR OF "WE MATTER ATHLETES
AND ACTIVISM" THANK YOU FOR
SPENDING TIME WITH US.
OUTSIDE THE WORLD OF SPORTS YOU
HAVE THE SENSE THAT BOYCOTT
YESTERDAY KIND OF CAME OUT OF
NOWHERE, BUT THAT’S NOT TRUE.
THERE’S A LONG HISTORY GOING
BACK TO MUHAMMAD ALI AS A
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR OF THE
VIETNAM WAR AND TURNING UP THE
VOLUME OF THEIR PROTESTS SINCE
COLIN KAEPERNICK TOOK BE A KNEE
AND PAID A PRICE FOR IT.
TALK ABOUT THIS MOMENT RIGHT
NOW, TELL ME WHAT’S HAPPENING
RIGHT NOW ON THESE TEAMS?
>> WELL, THIS IS A MOMENT WHERE
YOU’RE SEEING ATHLETES AS A
WHOLE JUST SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
AND I THINK RIGHT NOW, WHAT A
LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND
IS THAT THEY SEE ATHLETES ON TV,
SEE ATHLETES LIKE LeBRON AND,
YOU KNOW, EVERYONE THEY’RE
PLAYING AND IN THEIR SPORT BUT
THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THEY’RE
FATHERS, THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND
THEY HAVE THESE TALKS WITH THEIR
CHILDREN EVERY SINGLE TIME
SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS.
YOU SAW ROBERT EARLIER, AND I
CAN RELATE TO EVERYTHING HE SAID
AS A FATHER.
EVERY TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS I HAVE TALKS WITH MY
CHILDREN.
MY SON IS 15.
JUST TURNED 15 AND I’M TERRIFIED
FOR HIM.
EVERY TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS I CAN’T SLEEP FOR A FEW
DAYS.
[ INAUDIBLE ] WHEN STOPPED BY
THE POLICE AND WHAT HE CAN’T DO.
HE’S GOING TO BE DRIVING IN A
YEAR AND THAT FRIGHTENS ME IN
ITSELF.
THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS AND
THINGS THAT GO THROUGH ATHLETES’
MINDS FOR SOME REASON THAT
AMERICA THINGS WE’RE IN THIS
PROTECTIVE BUBBLE WHERE THESE
THINGS DON’T REALLY BOTHER OR
AFFECT US BUT THAT ISN’T TRUE.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT DOC
RIVERS’ STATEMENTS AND LeBRON’S
TWEET YESTERDAY ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH.
I MEAN, DO YOU -- DO YOU THINK
THIS WILL REPRESENT A NEXT
LEVEL, I DON’T WANT TO USE THE
WORD BREAKTHROUGH BECAUSE THAT
SEEMS LIKE AN ARTIFICIAL
MEASURE, BUT THEY HAVE THE
COUNTRY’S ATTENTION THE NBA DOES
RIGHT NOW, BY POSTPONING THE
GAMES IN THE PLAYOFFS, BEING IN
THE BUBBLE, BEING TOGETHER, AND
BY HAVING THE COUNTRY SORT OF
REALLY FEELING THIS VACUUM AT
THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
>> IT’S TOUGH BECAUSE YOU WOULD
THINK THAT THE COUNTRY WOULD
HAVE TAKEN NOTICE AS A WHOLE A
LONG TIME AGO.
YOU KNOW, THIS ISN’T THE FIRST
CASE OF POLICE BRUTALITY, THE
FIRST CASE OF A BLACK MAN BEING
SHOT THAT’S CAUGHT ON VIDEO.
BUT I THINK THAT WHAT MAKES THIS
DIFFERENT IS THAT THE ENTIRE NBA
HAD A WORK STOPPAGE A BOYCOTT,
AND ARE VOICING THAT THEY WANT
CHANGE AND THEY WANT IT NOW.
SO NOW IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU
GO FROM HERE.
THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT
DIRECTIONS.
I WROTE A COLUMN FOR "THE
GUARDIAN" AND I WAS URGING FOR
THEM TO PUSH THE NBA CEOs, I
DON’T CALL THEM OWNERS, FOR
OBVIOUS REASONS, NBA CEOs TO USE
THEIR POWER AND INFLUENCE TO BE
ABLE TO PUSH LAWS TO BE CHANGED
IN THE CITIES WHERE THEIR TEAMS
ARE.
FOR INSTANCE, MARK CUBAN IN
DALLAS HAS A LOT OF POWER AND
POLITICAL CLOUT IN DALLAS SO HE
COULD EVEN PUT PRESSURE ON THE
CITY TO BE ABLE TO SAY OKAY, IF
THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT
DOESN’T ADOPT SOME OF THESE --
THESE POLICE REFORM DIFFERENT
PROTOCOLS WE’RE GOING TO
WITHHOLD FUNDING FROM YOU AND I
BET YOU WOULD SEE CHANGE
HAPPENING IMMEDIATELY.
TAKE THAT NEXT STEP.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE NBA,
THESE ARE BILLIONAIRES, MICKEY
HARRISON IN MIAMI, YOU KNOW,
THESE ARE BILLIONAIRES AND THEY
HAVE POWER TO PUT CHANGE.
IT’S DIFFERENT FOR MILLIONAIRES.
NBA PLAYERS ARE DOING A TERRIFIC
JOB OF LETTING THEIR VOICES BE
HEARD AND OBJECTIONS BE HEARD
BUT I WANT TO SEE THE NEXT
LEVEL.
BECAUSE I WANT CHANGE TO HAPPEN.
>> IT’S A PERFECT POINT.
THESE ARE THE SAME BILLIONAIRE
OWNERS WHO GET CITIES AND TOWNS
THAT CAN’T FIX THEIR BRIDGES OR
SCHOOLS TO BUILD THEM BEAUTIFUL
STADIUMS SO THAT’S A BRILLIANT
POINT.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT LeBRON
JAMES’ EFFORT TO -- WE SPENT A
LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THE
EFFORT TO REALLY IMPACT VOTER
SUPPRESSION AND TO MAKE IT
EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE, TO
TURN SOME OF THESE EMPTY ARENAS
SINCE EVERYONE IS PLAYING IN
ORLANDO IN THE BUBBLE INTO GIANT
VOTING PRECINCTS.
IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRAW
MORE ATTENTION TO THAT, TO
ENGAGE MORE PLAYERS AND TEAMS IN
THAT EFFORT?
>> DEFINITELY.
WHAT THE PLAYERS, WHAT LeBRON IS
DOING, IS RAMPING UP THE VOTING
EFFORT IS PHENOMENAL.
YOU TALK ABOUT HIM IN
PARTICULAR, THE WAY HE IS MOVING
HIS PLATFORM IS ON THE LEVEL OF
THE ACTIVIST WE’VE SEEN IN THE
PAST.
I THINK THAT YOU HAVE SOMEBODY
AT THE TOP OF THEIR CRAFT USING
THEIR VOICE, USING THEIR
PLATFORM AND PUSHING PEOPLE FOR
CHANGE.
I SAW A QUOTE WHERE HE SAID A
FEW DAYS AGO THAT 50% OF HIS
MIND IS ON THE PLAYOFFS AND THE
OTHER 50% IS ON HOW HE CAN HELP
HIS BLACK PEOPLE.
THAT’S POWERFUL.
THAT’S A POWERFUL STATEMENT TO
MAKE.
WHAT HE’S DOING ALSO IS MAKING
IT EASIER FOR OTHER PLAYERS TO
BE ABLE TO STAND UP.
IF YOU REMEMBER A LITTLE BIT OF
A PERIOD OF TIME IN THE ’90s
THINGS WERE QUIET.
THINGS WERE A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENT.
THE WHOLE CLIMATE OF THE NBA WAS
DIFFERENT.
BUT NOW YOU HAVE THE TOP PLAYER
WHO IS SPEAKING OUT NOT GOING TO
SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE LIKE LAURA
ENGRAM TOLD HIM TO DO, HE’S
GOING TO SPEAK OUT AND TALK
ABOUT POLITICS, COME BACK AT
TRUMP, TALK ABOUT VOTER
SUPPRESSION, HE’S GOING TO TALK
ABOUT POLICE KILLINGS OF UNARMED
BLACK MEN AND WOMEN AND DO
EVERYTHING AND BE THAT MUHAMMAD
ALI TYPE OF MOUTHPIECE IN THIS