The National Basketball Association is planning to allow players to place a statement about social justice on the back of their jerseys, in place of their last name, CBS Sports reported. The decision was part of an agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players' Association.
The NBA and NBPA are planning to allow players to replace the last name on their jerseys with statement on social justice, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 28, 2020
According to the Los Angeles Times, the decision was made, in part, because Nike, who serves as the NBA's athletic wear sponsor, is moving to have "anti-racism messaging" as part of their on-going ad campaign.
Sources: The NBPA currently is working with the NBA and Nike to give players the option of replacing their last name on their jersey with a statement on social justice. More details to come soon.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 28, 2020
In fact, Nike has a new commercial called "don't do it," a play on their tagline of "just do it."
“For once, don’t do it. Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America. Don’t turn your back on racism. Don’t accept innocent lives being taken from us," the ad states.
According to a spokesperson, this is the sporting goods company's latest anti-bigotry move.“Nike has a long history of standing against bigotry, hatred and inequality in all forms,” a Nike spokeswoman told AdAge in a statement. “We hope that by sharing this film we can serve as a catalyst to inspire action against a deep issue in our society and encourage people to help shape a better future.”
As if professional athletes need more of an opportunity to virtue signal.