NBA To Turn Arenas Into Voting Places; Playoffs Continue Saturday

NBA teams returned to the court on Friday to announce that playoffs will resume Saturday. But during meetings among players and with coaches and owners, players discussed the need to go beyond words and create more actions.

These actions were detailed in a joint statement released Friday by the league and the National Basketball Players Association. The initiatives focus on "promoting voting access and combating social injustice," including converting arenas into polling places for the 2020 general election.

The statement follows two days of upheaval within the NBA after the Milwaukee Bucks chose not to play in Wednesday's playoff game against the Orlando Magic in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The decision not to play spread to 13 teams inside the NBA's bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort, in addition to several other sports leagues, including the WNBA, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the NHL.

“We’re all hurt, we’re all tired of just seeing the same thing over and over again and everybody just expects us to be OK just because we get paid great money,” union president Chris Paul said. “We’re human, we have real feelings, and I’m glad that we got a chance to get in a room and talk with one another and not just cross paths and say good luck in your game today.”

NBA players agreed to continue the playoffs on Thursday.

READ: NBA Players Agree To Resume Playoffs

Moving forward, team owners who control their arena property will work with local officials to turn the building into a voting location for the 2020 general election to allow for safe, in-person voting.

Some NBA teams — including the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz — have already announced that their arenas will be available to be used as voting locations in November, ESPN reported.

A statement from More Than A Vote, the nonprofit organization co-founded by LeBron James, backed the decision to convert arenas into polling places.

"We know that voting will not end our pain. Voting cannot bring back those killed by the police officers sworn to protect us. Voting cannot erase the scars of slavery and segregation. It cannot change our history, but it can change our future," the statement read.

A roster of professional sports franchises are expected to follow suit. Major League Baseball, the National Football League and National Hockey League are also stepping forward to make their arenas and stadiums available as election super centers this year.

This action is being spearheaded by the Election Super Centers Project, a nonpartisan, joint initiative of the National Vote at Home Institute and Silver Linings Group.

NBA players and the league will immediately establish a social justice coalition — made up of players, coaches and owners — that will focus on issues such as voting access and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform, AP reported.

The league and players will also work with TV networks to create advertising spots during the remainder of the postseason to promote greater engagement in the election process and their communities.