When the NBA came back from their hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, it did so by having social justice messages on the courts, but that won’t be happening next season.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the messages such as “Black Lives Matter” won’t be very noticeable like they were this year as the league was in a bubble in Orlando. The move to have the messages on the courts was in wake of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
“We’re completely committed to standing for social justice and racial equality,” Silver said as reported by CBS Sports. “It’s part of the DNA of this league. I would say in terms of the messages you see on the court on our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time, when we began the discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer.” The 2019-2020 season could end on Friday if the Los Angles Lakers win Game 5 of the NBA Finals. If that happens, the question is when will the 2020-21 season begin?
“My sense is there will be some sort of return to normalcy,” Silver said while also mentioning the season could start in January. “That those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor. And I understand those people who are saying ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game.”
Social media had a lot to say about this news:
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Game 2 of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat was watched by 6.07 million viewers, a drop from last year’s Game 2 Finals, and from this year’s Game 1 (7.41 million). Game 3 ratings fell again to 5.94 million viewers, marking the least-watched NBA Finals game on record, according to Sports Media Watch.
