The National Basketball Association plans to allow players to wear social justice messages when the season resumes next month in Orlando, Florida. 

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The NBA and the NBA Basketball Players Association are now discussing to allow players to replace their jersey names into social justice messages like "Black Lives Matter" or "I Can't Breathe" as the season resumes next month according to a report published in ESPN.

Chris Paul, President of the NBPA, confirmed the report on Saturday through ESPN that players will be allowed to wear jerseys with personalized social justice, social cause, and charity messages instead of having their last names. 

The Athletic's Shams Charania immediately posted this progress on his social media account, stating that NBPA sent players initial details on the plan of allowing players to wear social justice messages and replacing their last names on their jersey. It can be remembered that some NBA players have been very vocal in supporting the African-American community following the death of George Floyd.

NBA to Adress Racial Inequality Issues 

Latin Post reported a week ago that NBA would be addressing social injustice and racial inequality issues as the central goals once the season resumes next month. 

According to the 2019 NBA Complete Racial and Gender Report Card released last week by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, the NBA comprises 74.9 percent of Black players during the 2018-2019 season. 

Meanwhile, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Friday during the press conference that the league has work to do to hire African-Americans in notable roles. He also explained that the need for diversity was also discussed during the recent board of governors meeting.

Names of African-Americans Killed by Police Might Be Used  

The 15-year NBA veteran Chris Paul said that NBPA plans to reach out with the families of African-Americans who died under the hands of police. The association will be asking the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, and others to have their permission and blessing to use their names on the back of their jerseys.

Chris Paul said that players have been marching on the front lines and using their platforms to support the Black Lives Matter movement. He also added that if they choose to come down to Orlando to make sacrifices and play this game, "Why not be able to play and still say his or her name at the same time?"

Moreover, the NBA would not be the first professional sports league that allowed players to wear social justice messages. In a report published by the New York Post, the Premier League in England replaced player names with "Black Lives Matter."

Additionally, the restart plan of the NBA was officially approved and announced on Friday. Aside from addressing racial injustice, the NBA created a 113-page health and safety protocol designed to protect everyone against the infectious and deadly COVID-19. 

It can be remembered that the league was put into almost four-month hiatus since the pandemic began and after some NBA players tested positive for the virus. 

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