NBA Cancels Playoff Games After Milwaukee Bucks Boycott Game Over Blake Shooting
The NBA cancels playoff games on Wednesday after the Milwaukee Bucks boycott Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic.
The other teams followed suit in protest of a Black man's police shooting in Wisconsin named Jacob Blake.
Bucks guard George Hill said that they are tired of killings and injustice.
The game was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET, and at the time, the Bucks still were not on the court. NBA officials decided to go to their locker room to check on the players.
Reports said that players were trying to reach the attorney general of Wisconsin, Josh Kaul.
The Magic players said they would not accept a forfeit win after the Bucks left the court. The Bucks released a statement over their decision to boycott the game.
"Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action. So, our focus today cannot be on basketball," the team said in a statement.
Following Buck's decision, reports said that players on both Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder were planning to boycott their Western Conference series.
The Los Angeles Lakers said they would have a meeting to discuss boycotting their matchup against Portland Trail Blazers later on Wednesday night.
The NBA and NBPA confirmed that all three games are now officially canceled. The two associations released a statement saying the games will not be played due to boycotting.
"The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks' decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic: today's three games - Bucks vs. Magic; Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder; and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers - have been postponed," the statement read.
Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled, added the associations.
Jacob Blake Shooting
Authorities identified on Wednesday night the police officer who shot Jacob Blake. The incident led to four days of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Department of Justice announced several details, such as that Blake had a knife and that officers used a stun gun on him.
The DOJ said the officers attempted to stun Blake, but the taser did not stop him.
The DOJ named the officer who shot Blake as Rusten Sheskey. Sheskey has been with the Kenosha Police Department for seven years.
He fired seven shots and was the only officer to fire his weapon, the DOJ said.
Blake admitted that he had a knife during the DOJ's investigation. Agents recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of his car. No other weapons were found.
Protests resulted from the police shooting of Blake and continued for a third night Tuesday into Wednesday.
Police deployed tear gas, flashbangs, and rubber bullets against protesters. The police also put a fence around the local courthouse.
At least three people were shot during the protests overnight in Kenosha. Two of the victims died from their injuries, the Kenosha Police Department confirmed.
This pushed President Donald Trump and State Gov. Tony Evers to deploy additional members of the National Guard to Kenosha.
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