TO NOT TAKE THE FLOOR TONIGHT,
ALL THREE OF TODAY’S GAMES ARE
POSTPONED.
THIS UNUSUAL DEVELOPMENT COMES
AFTER MANY PLAYERS, INCLUDING
THOSE LIKE LeBRON JAMES, HAVE
BEEN VERY VOCAL IN ACTIVISM
AGAINST POLICE SHOOTINGS AND
ALLEGED POLICE BRUTALITY AND OF
COURSE AMIDST THIS SUMMER WHEN
SEVERAL SPORTS LEAGUES HAVE BEEN
WRESTLING WITH MOUNTING PRESSURE
ON THESE CIVIL RIGHTS
PRIORITIES.
>> WE ARE SCARED AS BLACK PEOPLE
IN AMERICA.
BLACK MEN, BLACK WOMEN, BLACK
KIDS, WE ARE TERRIFIED BECAUSE
YOU DON’T KNOW.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT COP
THAT DAY LEFT THE HOUSE.
YOU DON’T KNOW IF HE WOKE UP ON
THE GOOD SIDE OF THE BED, ON THE
WRONG SIDE OF THE BED.
YOU DON’T KNOW IF HE HAD AN
ARGUMENT AT HOME WITH HIS
SIGNIFICANT OTHER.
YOU DON’T KNOW IF ONE OF HIS
KIDS SAID SOMETHING CRAZY TO HIM
AND HE LEFT THE HOUSE STEAMING
OR MAYBE HE JUST LEFT THE HOUSE
SAYING THAT TODAY IS GOING TO BE
THE END FOR ONE OF THESE BLACK
PEOPLE.
THAT’S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
>> WILLIAM ROADEN, A LONG-TIME
"NEW YORK TIMES" SPORTS
COLUMNIST, NOW WITH ESPN’S THE
UNDEFEATED JUMPED ON TO HIS
FACETIME AS THIS NEWS WAS
BREAKING LATE IN THE DAY.
I APPRECIATE YOU RUSHING TO
JOIN.
PROFESSOR COOPER IS STILL HERE.
WHAT DO YOU SEE OUT THERE IN
AMERICA TONIGHT AND THE ROLE OF
THE NBA?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I’M PROUD OF
THE PLAYERS, BECAUSE THEY’RE
DOING THE ONLY THING THEY CAN
DO.
THESE ARE PEOPLE OF ACTION, AND
A LOT OF THEM DIDN’T WANT TO GO
TO THE BUBBLE IN THE FIRST
PLACE, BUT THEY SAID, YOU KNOW
WHAT?
WE’LL DO OUR PART.
WE’LL COME TO THE BUBBLE, YOU
KNOW THE OWNERS, LET THEM
HAVE -- TAKE A KNEE AND SCRIBBLE
STUFF ON THE -- YOU KNOW,
SCRIBBLE SLOGANS AND THAT KIND
OF STUFF BUT IT GOT TO A POINT
WHERE WE’VE RUN OUT OF SLOGANS.
YOU KNOW, WE’VE RUN OUT OF
GESTURES.
WE’VE RUN OUT OF WORDS AND WHAT
THEY’RE DOING NOW, YOU KNOW
WHAT?
WE’RE GOING TO WITHHOLD THE ONE
THING THAT YOU WANT FROM US,
WHICH IS ENTERTAINMENT.
ENTERTAINMENT IS OVER.
THEY’RE GOING TO MEET TONIGHT AT
8:00 AND THEY’RE GOING TO DECIDE
WHETHER THEY UNPLUG THE WHOLE
THING, BUT THE NEXT LEVEL,
THOUGH, WE TALK ABOUT THE
PLAYERS, BUT YOU KNOW, EACH OF
THESE TEAMS IS OWNED BY
MULTIBILLIONAIRES.
YOU KNOW WHAT?
THE PLAYERS DID THEIR PART.
NOW THESE BILLIONAIRE OWNERS IN
MILWAUKEE, IN ORLANDO, THEY’VE
GOT TO DO THEIR PART.
THEY HAVE GOT TO SPEAK TO
THEIR -- THEY’VE GOT TO SPEAK TO
THE POLITICIANS.
THEY’VE GOT TO USE THEIR MUSCLE
TO SAY, LISTEN, THIS HAS GOT TO
STOP.
WE GOT A LEAGUE THAT’S 70%, 80%
BLACK MEN WHO HAVE GOT -- MANY
WHO HAVE SONS, WHO ARE LIKE 18,
19, 20.
THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.
SO I’M CALLING NOW THE PLAYERS
ARE DOING THEIR PART.
BUT NOW IT’S UP TO THESE
BILLIONAIRE OWNERS.
AND NOT JUST IN THE NBA, RIGHT?
THE NFL, YOU KNOW?
THEY HAVE GOT TO STEP IN, AND
THEY’VE GOT TO SPEAK THE SAME
LANGUAGE OF THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE
PERPETRATING THIS VIOLENCE AND
SAY, LISTEN, THIS
STATE-SPONSORED VIOLENCE AGAINST
BLACK PEOPLE HAS GOT TO STOP SO
THAT’S THE NEXT LEVEL BUT I’M
REALLY PROUD OF THE PLAYERS FOR
UNPLUGGING AND SAYING, YOU KNOW
WHAT?
WE’VE DONE THE PANTOMIME.
WE’VE DONE THE GESTURES.
WE’RE DONE.
>> YOU LAY IT OUT, WILLIAM, AND
IT’S A REMINDER TO FOLKS
ALTHOUGH WE COVER POLITICS A
LOT, THIS IS NOT, AT ITS CORE,
A, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, STORY ABOUT
POLITICS OR POLITICS ON THE
FIELD.
BRITTANY AND I HAVE BEEN
COVERING THESE STORIES AND CIVIL
RIGHTS AS LONG AS "THE BEAT" HAS
BEEN ON THE AIR AND WE HAVE HAD
A DIALOGUE ABOUT HOW THIS IS
ABOUT WHETHER PEOPLE WILL BE
GUNNED DOWN AND KILLED OR
ALLOWED TO LIVE.
AND NOBODY, WHEN THEY LOOK AT
THEIR OWN CHILD OR THEIR OWN
FAMILY, THINKS THAT BEING ABLE
TO LEAVE THE HOME AND COME BACK
ALIVE IS POLITICS.
THAT’S LIFE.
THAT’S SURVIVAL.
AND I SAY THAT, FIRST, FOR
WILLIAM’S RESPONSE AND THEN
BRITTANY, AS WE TEE UP SOMETHING
THAT’S A LITTLE LONG BUT WE WANT
EVERYONE TO HEAR IT TONIGHT, WE
MAKE OUR DECISIONS DELIBERATELY
HERE.
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO, TO MY
VIEWERS, THE L.A. CLIPPERS
COACH, DOC RIVERS, AND HE
STARTS, I BELIEVE, BY LAYING OUT
THE LOGIC AND THEN I THINK THE
FEELINGS THE, THE REALITY OF IT
OVERWHELMS HIM.
LET’S LISTEN TO THAT AND THEN
HEAR FROM OUR GUESTS ON THE
OTHER SIDE.
>> ALL YOU HEAR IS DONALD TRUMP
AND ALL OF THEM TALKING ABOUT
FEAR.
WE’RE THE ONES GETTING KILLED.
WE’RE THE ONES GETTING SHOT.
WE’RE THE ONES THAT WERE DENIED
TO LIVE IN CERTAIN COMMUNITIES.
WE’VE BEEN HUNG.
WE’VE BEEN SHOT. AND ALL YOU DO IS KEEP HEARING
AND ALL YOU DO IS KEEP HEARING
ABOUT FEAR.
IT’S -- IT’S AMAZING TO ME.
WHY WE KEEP LOVING THIS COUNTRY AND THIS COUNTRY DOES NOT LOVE
AND THIS COUNTRY DOES NOT LOVE
US BACK.
>> WILLIAM?
>> YEAH, I MEAN, THAT’S -- YOU
CAN HEAR THE FRUSTRATION.
AND ALL OF US, WE’RE ALL
FRUSTRATED, BUT WHEN YOU GET TO
THE POINT WHERE WORDS NO LONGER
ARE ENOUGH, IT’S ALMOST AS IF
IT’S A DARE.
IT’S ALMOST, IN THE FACE OF ALL
OF THIS BLACK LIVES MATTER
STUFF, YOU’VE GOT THIS
STATE-SPONSORED VIOLENCE SAYING,
OKAY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
NOW?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT?
OKAY, NOW WHAT?
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE’RE COMING
UP ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE
MARCH OF WASHINGTON, RIGHT?
AND REMEMBER, THE MARCH ON
WASHINGTON WAS AUGUST 28th.
WELL, YOU KNOW, ABOUT A COUPLE
MONTHS LATER, THERE WAS A
BOMBING -- THAT SEPTEMBER, A
MONTH LATER, YOU KNOW, THE KLAN
BOMBED A CHURCH AND KILLED FOUR
LITTLE GIRLS SO I THINK THAT
WE’RE NAIVE -- IT’S LIKE THIS IS
LIKE A COMPETITION.
IT’S NOT LIKE WE’RE UNOPPOSED.
THERE IS AN OPPONENT.
THERE IS AN OPPONENT THERE.
SO IT’S NOT LIKE EVERYBODY’S ON
BOARD WITH THIS.
I GUESS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO
FIGURE OUT WHETHER IT’S NBA,
WHETHER IT’S BILLIONAIRES WHO
OWN THE NBA TEAMS, HOW ARE THEY
GOING TO USE POWER TO MEET
POWER?
THAT’S IT.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO USE POWER
FOR THE GOOD TO MEET THIS
DARKNESS?
THAT’S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE, AND
I THINK THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE
NAIVE THAT THIS IS NOT A BATTLE.
THIS IS A BATTLE.
YOU KNOW, CELTICS/LAKERS, YOU
KNOW?
WHO’S ON MY SQUAD?
ARE YOU WITH ME?
AND I THINK THAT THAT’S WHAT NOT
ONLY NBA PLAYERS, NFL PLAYERS,
ALL PLAYERS, YOU KNOW?
YOU HAVE TO STAY IN YOUR LANE.
HOW CAN WE USE OUR POWER, OUR
MUSCLE, TO END THIS STUFF?