The NBA returned from a three-day layoff Saturday and so did Kenny Smith, who was back in the analyst chair for TNT after walking off Wednesday’s post-boycott edition of Inside the NBA as a show of solidarity. Upon his return to set Saturday, host Ernie Johnson asked Smith what went into his sudden departure and what, if any, feedback he received from fans.
“I wasn’t worried about feedback. I was just worrying about what I felt was right,” said Smith, who has been a member of Turner's broadcasting team since 1998. “As a black man and a former player, I just thought this was an opportunity to not just sit and talk about it, but actually join the march.”
There was some uncertainty as to whether the season would continue with tensions rising in response to Jacob Blake’s shooting earlier this week (the 29-year-old was handcuffed to his hospital bed until Friday). However, the players eventually agreed to resume their postseason with encouragement from former president Barack Obama, who reportedly counseled LeBron James and others on how to proceed and use the league’s platform for change.
In a powerful statement Saturday, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray placed two custom sneakers donning the faces of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd—both victims of police violence—on his chair before abruptly leaving his press conference. “How long was that? Two minutes?” asked Murray upon reentering the room. “One person on those shoes had a knee on his neck for eight.”
Perhaps the most outspoken player on issues of social justice, LeBron James arrived to Game 5 against the Trail Blazers sporting a t-shirt with the words, “Do you understand now?”
“It’s not just racism. It’s a war against humanity,” said Smith of the ongoing social unrest in a country divided like never before. “I’ve seen it too many times where I just continue to talk about it. I think it was important to take action.”
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