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Apart from Jacob Blake's shooting and the act of domestic terrorism occurring in Kenosha, about a half-hour south of Milwaukee, here's some context behind why the Milwaukee @Bucks feel particularly strongly about fighting for justice (thread):
A few years ago, big man John Henson was racially profiled when he and a friend attempted to visit a high-end jewelry store in the swanky suburb of Whitefish Bay: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/13936302/store-owner-apologizes-milwaukee-bucks-john-henson-being-refused-service
A couple of years ago, guard Sterling Brown was unlawfully arrested for double-parking during a quick late-night run into Walgreens. The instigating officer was ultimately fired for a series of racist social-media posts about Brown and other Black people. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/12/woman-bucks-sterling-brown-tased-not-prostitute-police-video-shows/1617068002/
All-star forward Khris Middleton is from Charleston, SC, where white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine Black churchgoers in a service - one in which they accepted him into their circle - in 2015: https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/highschool/charlestons-khris-middleton-speaks-out-as-bucks-boycott-nba-playoff-game/article_c64d3e2c-e7da-11ea-bb23-0701e9f27ad1.html
So for them, this is personal - both driven by their direct experiences as well as those in their communities.
I applaud them for not "shutting up and dribbling." They have a platform that they believe can effect needed change, and they've chosen to use it.
I applaud them for not "shutting up and dribbling." They have a platform that they believe can effect needed change, and they've chosen to use it.
Here are the @Bucks engaged with incarcerated individuals earlier this season, an experience that was unanimously described as moving and motivational among the players: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2019/12/17/bucks-visit-racine-correctional-institution-play-justice/2675732001/
And here's Sterling Brown's recollection of his encounter with the police in 2018. About 3/4ths of the way down, he speaks of his relationship with his dad, who was a police officer, and how he views the people vs. the system. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/sterling-brown-milwaukee-police-racial-injustice?_ga=2.167766398.1920600129.1598382699-1165867778.1523648741
