NBA players are taking a stand for Eric Garner this week. Beginning with Derrick Rose, the donning of the last words of the NYPD choking victim has trickled down to other players. Last night (Dec. 8) at Barclays Center, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Garnett and Deron Williams all took the hardwood for warm-ups in “I Can’t Breathe” shirts as well.
Now, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has expressed his sentiments about the players bringing their social views to the court.
“I respect Derrick Rose and all of our players for voicing their personal views on important issues, but my preference would be for players to abide by our on-court attire rules,” he told Yahoo! Sports.
SEE ALSO: Reporter Questions If Derrick Rose ‘Really Understands’ His Eric Garner T-Shirt
Nets guard, Jack Jarrett – who helped provide the rest of the players with the shirts – responded to Silver’s statement, acknowledging his interests in protecting the NBA’s business. He also however, remarked that the issue of police brutality was of importance.
“That’s his own opinion. Obviously, these are business hours, so I get the angle that he is coming from. But this is something that was very, very important to us.”
Silver has yet to take action to ban players from the “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts.