The Bucks admitted there was an enormous emotional toll in making this societal statementNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Bucks in '20 will be remembered for "their protest and fight for racial equality, police reform, and inclusive and accessible voting," not for "what they did on the court," according to Lori Nickel of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. The incident involving Jacob Blake and a Kenosha police officer "struck a deeply personal nerve," and the day after the shooting, the Bucks "were incensed." For those "wary of coming to Orlando in the first place," this also "became personal." The Bucks admitted there was an "enormous emotional toll in making this societal statement." When they returned, they attempted to "strike a balance between urging legislators to change policing rules and getting people to vote." At the same time, they "prepared to beat their one nemesis of the year: Miami" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/10). Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo said, "Is it harder to do both? Yes, it’s harder to do both. But that’s what we chose as a team, to stand up for something that’s bigger than basketball, to stand up for something that we believe, and at the same time play basketball. But it’s not easy.” In N.Y., Scott Cacciola writes there was the "obvious disappointment" of the Bucks' early exit from the playoffs, "especially given the expectations of a deep run." But those feelings were "counterbalanced by the protest and the platform" that players "seized." Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer: “Our team was on the right side of history” (N.Y. TIMES, 9/10).
MAKING AN IMPACT: Bucks G George Hill said, “I didn’t know what was going to come out of it. I just knew that I’m going to do what I feel is right. And good or bad comes from that, then so be it. But I know I can live and sleep with myself at night knowing that I stood for what I believe in." He added, "I never looked at it trying to make an impact. I was just looking at it from a perspective of just doing what’s right, doing what’s on my heart, doing what’s in my gut.” THE UNDEFEATED's Marc Spears wrote while it was a "disappointing end to the season for the No. 1 seed in the East," Hill and his teammates can "stand tall knowing they used their time in the bubble to make an impact." The Bucks are returning home "earlier than expected," but even so, Hill "will go down in history as the voice who sparked the league being shut down for three days in the name of social justice" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 9/8).
PROTESTS REMEMBERED OVER PLAYOFFS: THE ATHLETIC's Michael Lee wrote, "How Milwaukee lost a conference semifinals series to Miami will be broken down over the next few days and weeks -- and forgotten in years to come." The Bucks’ decision to stand up for Jacob Blake will "go down as one of the most remarkable moments in the history of professional sports." Lee: "It will live on." Critics can "pounce on the Bucks, claim that they weren’t focused on the prize after taking a social justice reprieve," or they "could wonder why there was no immediate, calculating agenda accompanying the walkout." But the legacy of the Bucks’ nearly 11-month season is that they "made an unprecedented decision to shut it all down and forced America to re-examine itself -- again -- as it relates to racial injustice and police brutality." They "helped make the sporting world uncomfortable for a few days, and that is no consolation." It is "its own reward" (THE ATHLETIC, 9/9).
