Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers penned a lengthy response to the stance against restarting the season in late July amid protests across the country overĀ police brutality and systemic racism.
Rivers, son of Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc,Ā directs some of his argumentĀ at Kyrie Irving, who is reportedly spearheading the movement that opposesĀ the idea of having a league that consists primarily of Black players to stay quarantined in Orlando for the purpose of entertainment while also potentially stealing attention away from the Black Lives Matter movement and the pursuit of police and social reform.
"Us coming back would put money in all of our (NBA players') pockets," Rivers writes. "With this money you could help out even more people and continue to give more importantly your time and energy towards the BLM movement. Which I'm 100 percent on board with. Because change needs to happen and injustice has been going on too long."
Rivers notes that the financial implications of a canceled season wouldnāt hurt Irving since he has made more money than ā99 percentā of the league. Rivers believes that both sides can find a middle ground where the players can inspire change while also avoiding theĀ potentially detrimentalĀ impact on their wallets.
"I love Kyrie's passion towards helping this movement," Rivers added. "It's admirable and inspiring. I'm with it ... but not at the cost of the whole NBA and players' careers. We can do both. We can play and we can help change the way black lives are lived. I think we have [to]! But canceling and boycotting [a] return doesn't do that in my opinion. Guys want to play and provide and help change!!!!"
It's worth notingĀ Irving has also reportedlyĀ said that he wouldĀ support a return to play, if that's what his fellow players decide to do as a group.
