NBA players continue to take a stand against mass violence that plagues the country. Throughout the weekend, the pro-athletes wore black t-shirts that have the word “ENOUGH” printed on the front and the 12 names of the Thousand Oaks victims on the back. The domestic terrorism incident occurred on Nov. 7.
In support of those that took a stand from the Atlanta Hawks to the Milwaukee Bucks, NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated that the athletes are more than “just ballplayers,” but they’re “citizens.”
“They have strong feelings about what’s happening in society and they react to them,” Silver said to ESPN. “I think this was something that was a groundswell within the league. It came from the players and it spread by word of mouth from one team to another.”
For LeBron James, the shooting put into perspective the dangers that safe havens are now being riddled with. “It’s just how can you be comfortable with sending your kids to school or sending them to church or sending them to the movies or sending them to the mall?” James questioned to ESPN. “Those are kind of like the great havens when I was growing up: school, church, go to the mall, go to a sporting event. That was like heaven. And it’s kind of scary at this point and time.”
#ENOUGH pic.twitter.com/9a2wDw5vBZ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 12, 2018
Thank you to the @LAClippers and @Bucks for using your platform to honor the Borderline victims and spread this important message that will one day save lives. Never shut up and dribble. @NBA #ENOUGH pic.twitter.com/07tohU2V0l
— Ryan Pascal (@ryanpascal_) November 10, 2018
Enough is #ENOUGH.
We stand together and remember those lost in the tragic shooting in Thousand Oaks. pic.twitter.com/ghkmRXXByl
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 10, 2018
In 2016, NBA players Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony. and James took another collective stand when they opened the ESPYs with a speech on Black Lives Matter. “Now, as athletes, it’s on us to challenge each other to do even more than what we already do in our own communities,” Miami Heat’s Wade said. “And the conversation cannot—it cannot stop as our schedules get busy again. It won’t always be convenient. It won’t. It won’t always be comfortable. But it is necessary.”
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