NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts last night on ESPN said NBA players deciding not to take to the court after the shooting of Jacob Blake was a "remarkable" moment. On a special broadcast of "The Stop: Living, Driving & Dying While Black," presented by The Undefeated, Roberts and NBPA President and Thunder G Chris Paul discussed ongoing social-justice efforts. Roberts noted after the late-August stoppage in play, "you had teams committing to making sure that they would get arenas available" as voting centers, and there emerged a "coalition of players, coaches and the league designed to specifically engage in direct action." Roberts: "The platform that these guys have is not one that anyone could accuse them of wasting." Paul said players "needed to be educated even more, and that's why having that reset" was "important." Paul: "I'm proud of our guys. I'm proud of the message that we’re sending, and we just want to continue to encourage everyone to get out the vote." Roberts: "I'm so impressed and proud to work for men that don’t have to be told you should care. ... So the hardest part is done. All I need to do at this point is to identify for the players, when they ask for it, where they can be impactful. ... It hasn't been as difficult at all to organize the players, and frankly, I don't have any difficulty getting the attention of politicians" ("The Stop: Living, Driving & Dying While Black," ESPN, 10/11).
