After some NFL players and other athletes started taking a knee or sitting out during the national anthem as a form of protest against social injustice, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the possibility of something like that happening in the National Basketball League.
“It’s my hope that our players will continue to use that as a moment of unity. Many of our players have spoken out already about their plan to stand for the anthem. And I think they understand how divisive an issue it is in our society right now.”- Silver said on Thursday.
The thing is, that NBA has a rule about this. That rule states that players, coaches, and trainers must “stand and line up in a dignified posture” during the anthem.”
“It’s been a rule as long as I’ve been involved with the league, and my expectation is that our players will continue to stand for the anthem” – said Silver, but didn’t reveal what would happen if some of the players would fail to adhere to the rule. “If that were to happen, we’ll deal with it when it happens.“
Silver made some other comments about the protests by saying:
“These are highly complex and nuanced issues. One of the core principles of this country is freedom of expression as well. It is my hope, though, that with NBA players, that given the platform that they have — whether it’s the regular engagement they have with the media, whether it’s social media, whether it’s other opportunities they have to work in the communities — that they have those opportunities for their voices to be heard.“
Adam Silver is an American lawyer and businessman who serves as the 5th Commissioner of the NBA. Silver became Commissioner in 2014, succeeding David Stern.
