By the end of the day Monday, the NBA season will be in full swing. All players must report to their teams by then and training camps across the league will be under way by Tuesday. With that being said, we’re likely to hear many players, coaches and executives share their thoughts regarding national anthem protests, which have been going on across several levels of multiple sports ever since 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick spoke out about his feelings regarding The Star-Spangled Banner last month.
NBA & player's union met this week and agreed to work together to address possible protests during national anthems, sources said
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) September 22, 2016
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared his thoughts on the topic last week. And Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook, expressed outrage regarding the shooting of Terence Crutcher — an African-American motorist killed by police in Tulsa last week — in an Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKmI2Y3Ap6V/?taken-by=russwest44&hl=en
As far as whether or not he plans to sit or kneel during the anthem once the games begin, though, Westbrook is thus far noncommittal.
The Thunder held their media day on Friday because they’re a part of the NBA’s preseason Global Games. And when asked about his plans to take part in any anthem protests, Westbrook replied that he’s not planning to take part.
Westbrook asked if he'll take a knee for the anthem this year: "As of right now, no."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) September 24, 2016
One can assume from that comment that Westbrook’s decision is fairly fluid. He may wind up changing his mind and decide to sit or kneel at some point in the future. He won’t be alone, either, but the NBA is one of the rare professional sports that require NBA players to stand during the National Anthem. Just ask Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
While we don’t know what Westbrook might do, what is abundantly clear is that the situation is on his mind and on the mind of many around professional sport in America these days.
