Members of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics paraded onto the court Wednesday wearing white t-shirts – each with a letter of Jacob Blake’s name – and featuring seven bullet holes on their backs.
The team lined up before the empty sidelines spelling out Blake’s name with their shirts, then they took a knee on the court.
Blake is, of course, the Kenosha, Wisconsin, man who was shot on August 23 by police after a brief physical struggle and after refusing to obey repeated demands to submit to arrest. Blake is reportedly paralyzed from the wounds.
The league quickly canceled all its games for Wednesday and Friday in solidarity with the Mystics payers.
Speaking for her team, guard Ariel Atkins delivered a statement about the team’s feelings on the Blake shooting.
“We wanted everybody to feel like they were supported,” Atkins said of the team’s decision. “Understanding that this isn’t just about basketball. We aren’t just basketball players and just because we are basketball players, doesn’t mean that’s our only platform. We need to understand that when most of us go home, we still are Black, in the sense that...
