With Their Wildcat Strike, NBA Players Have Pointed the Way Forward
Despite its outcome, this week’s NBA wildcat strike provided a crucial lesson for all of us: we have to disrupt owners’ profits and engage in collective action if we have any hope of making change.
(L-R) Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Quinn Cook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers wear Black Lives Matter Shirts and kneel during the national anthem prior to the opening bubble game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers, the teams that were against continuing the playoffs at one point during the strike, on July 30, 2020 in Florida. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
The NBA playoffs will resume today following the wildcat strike on Wednesday afternoon by the Milwaukee Bucks that prompted other NBA teams and teams in sports leagues like the MLB and NFL to call off their games and practices, as well.
Last night, the Athletic reported that Barack Obama spoke with superstars LeBron James and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) president Chris Paul, along with a few other players, and advised them to resume the season. And according to ESPN, Michael Jordan spoke with some players and encouraged the same.
Michael Jordan, as a current owner of an NBA team, has a direct stake in having the players continue the season. By not playing they disrupted profits for the league, placing themselves in a position to make demands of the owners and also capitalize on their large platforms to apply pressure on politicians. They also proved that to have an actual impact and effect real change, there needs to be collective action, that we need to go beyond symbolic gestures.
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