UPDATED 8/27, 5:00 p.m. ET: The players have decided to resume the season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Thursday's games will be postponed.
Shams Charania reports that players want to find "new and improved ways to make social justice statements," and that games are expected to resume this weekend.
UPDATE 8/26, 11:16 p.m. ET: Shams Charania reports that both the Lakers and Clippers voted to boycott the remainder of the season and that LeBron James left the meeting after expressing his desire for owners to take a larger role when it comes to speaking out about the issues.
A short while later Adrian Wojnarowski reported sources as saying the aforementioned vote "was considered more of a polling, than a final vote."
The Clippers and Lakers voting on perhaps not continuing with the season was considered more of a polling, than a final vote, sources tell ESPN. The resumption of the playoffs remains still up in the air.
Sources: The Lakers and Clippers have voted to boycott the NBA season. Most other teams voted to continue. LeBron James has exited the meeting.
Sources: Miami's Udonis Haslem spoke and essentially told everyone in room that -- without Lakers and Clippers, how will season continue?
LeBron James walked out. Rest of Lakers and Clippers exited behind him.
Sources: Every team besides Lakers and Clippers voted to continue playing. LeBron James said in meeting he want owners to be more involved/take action.
Woj also reported that discussions on continuing the season will be continued tomorrow.
Discussions on continuing season will extend into tomorrow, sources tell ESPN, but appears unlikely the three playoff games on Thursday will be played. "Everyone is still too emotional," one high-ranking source tells ESPN. "There needs to be more time to come together on this."
ESPN Sources: Among themes in meeting: NBPA explained financial implications of ending season, including possible lockout next year. Chris Paul on leaving meeting unified; CJ McCollum on needing a plan of action. Doc Rivers on using platform, voting, holding police accountable.
See original story below.
In the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott game 5 of their NBA playoff series against the Orlando Magic.
The Magic took the court leading up to the start game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoff series, but Milwaukee did not come out of the locker room to warm up. As tip-off approached, the Magic players also left the court as NBA executives gathered outside of the Bucks locker room.
Soon after, it was confirmed that the Bucks would not be taking the floor for today's Wednesday's contest as a form of protest.
Per the Athletic's Shams Charania, the Bucks then attempted to contact the attorney general of Wisconsin, Josh Kaul. Shams also pointed out that the Magic did not accept the Bucks' forfeit.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski later reported that the team was able to get in contact with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.
Inside the locker room, the Milwaukee Bucks were on a conference call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, sources tell ESPN.
The Bucks then shared a statement with reporters.
here’s the bucks’ statement #fearthedeer pic.twitter.com/b07K30NpbV
Shortly after the initial boycott, the dominoes began to fall, as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets also announced their own boycott. The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers followed suit shortly after.
The NBA eventually released a statement explaining that all three games have postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Despite the statement, the players are expected to meet on Wednesday night, and according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, the season is in "jeopardy."
As one source in meeting said, "We're trying to figure out how to take action." https://t.co/BasFmNl4V7
There is also a possibility that games scheduled for Thursday will also not be played.
As emotional discussions amongst players continue, there's a growing sense that, at a minimum, the three games scheduled for tomorrow will not be played, sources told @SInow.
It wasn't long before players and notable figures from around the league applauded the Bucks while also demanding change and action.
The Milwaukee Brewers also decided to boycott their Wednesday game against the Reds.
Kenny Smith walked off a broadcast of Inside the NBA in solidarity with NBA players.
Kenny Smith, Inside the NBA host, just walked off the set: “As a black man, as a former player, I think it's best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight."pic.twitter.com/3561mMA1Vi
Jacob Blake is in serious but stable condition after being shot in the back seven times in front of his children by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He's reportedly paralyzed from the waist down.
The WNBA has also joined the boycotts over the police shooting of Jacob Blake—a 29-year-old Black man who was left paralyzed after he was wounded by Wisconsin officers.
It was initially announced that all three Wednesday night games would take place, with athletes stopping every 7 minutes as a sign of protest; however, shortly before the first tip-off, teams announced they would follow in the NBA's footsteps and boycott the scheduled match-ups. The games were Washington Mystics vs. Atlanta Dream, Connecticut Sun vs. Phoenix Mercury, and Los Angles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx.
Atlanta Dream's Elizabeth Williams gave a statement explaining the teams' decision.
"After speaking with representatives from teams playing tonight, as well as our WNBPA leadership, the consensus is to not play in tonight’s slate of games and to kneel, lock arms and raise fists during the national anthem," she said. "We stand in solidarity with our brothers in the NBA and will continue this conversation with our brothers and sisters across all leagues and look to take collective action.
"What we have seen over the last few months, and most recently with the brutal police shooting of Jacob Blake, is overwhelming. And while we hurt for Jacob and his community, we also have an opportunity to keep the focus on the issues and demand change. These moments are why it’s important for our fans to stay focused, hear our voices, know our hearts and connect the dots from what we say to what we do."
The Washington Mystics also entered the WNBA bubble wearing T-shirts that spelled out Jacob Blakes' name. Each shirt had seven holes in the back, representing the amount of times Blake was shot.
Jacob Blake on the front and seven bullet holes on the back
The WNBA ain’t new to this, they been true to this https://t.co/2e3E50umRN
