“There Are Some Whispers”: Former NBA Champion Hints at Lakers and Clippers Not Being Comfortable with Season Resumption

The alleged homicide of George Floyd has started a wave of protests against racism and injustice in the United States. Activism has been going strong, both on social media and on the streets. But due to this situation, 2017 NBA champion Matt Barnes has said, that some teams aren’t comfortable about playing any time soon.

Barnes has been active in the protests himself. At a recent protest in Sacramento with Kings players like Harrison Barnes, De’Aaron Fox, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, he was urging the people to vote. “We gotta beat them with our minds. This is a mental fight. When we say go out and vote, it’s not just to get the orange dude out. It’s the local level and the state level where the laws are made and passed.”

Former Laker Barnes says some teams aren’t ready for the NBA to return

While speaking to Josiah Johnson on DunkBait, Barnes said that he had spoken to Snoop (Dogg), who told him about the situation. “A couple (of) guys from the Lakers and the Clippers … there are some whispers about some teams not being comfortable. Some guys want to play and some don’t want to play.”

But a postponement looks unlikely at this stage. After a lot of discussions, a return plan for the NBA was announced. So that whole process happening again is improbable. This is similar to the 1992 Rodney King riots when the NBA decided to just change the venue instead of postponing it. Since the riots were in Los Angeles, they moved it to Las Vegas to avoid getting affected by the violence.

With the NBA announcing the return of the season from 31st July, 22 teams are scheduled to be in action. They will first play eight regular-season games and then the playoffs. But after this quote from Barnes, one can only speculate what the players are thinking. It will be shocking if players from the top two contenders decide to not play.