Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell Shows Bulletproof Vest With The Names Of Police Brutality Victims At NBA Press Conference
The NBA season has restarted and the players are using the media attention to remind people of injustices across the country.
Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz is the latest player to make a bold statement.
At a press conference on July 30, Mitchell showed the press a bulletproof vest that featured the names of police brutality victims.
The 23-year-old told Taylor Rooks of Turner Sports, “I have pretty much every possible name of everyone that’s died of police brutality and police violence.”
He continued, “There was a quote that said ‘am I next?’ on the back of somebody’s jersey. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how famous you are, as an African-American male that’s who we are.”
He also added, “It doesn’t matter what your job is, what your name is. Being able to wear a bulletproof vest just shows we kind of have our hands up as well, just kinda like hands up, don’t shoot. We’re tired of seeing this. ... We’re sick and tired of being afraid.”
Donovan Mitchell is one of many players who used his time in front of the media to remind people of police brutality.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris, Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso and center Dwight Howard, Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown have shifted press conferences to focus on injustice.
On July 24, LeBron James dedicated his entire press conference to Breonna Taylor, saying, "I want to continue to shed light on justice for Breonna Taylor and to her family and everything that's going on with that situation.”
He continued, "As one of the leaders of this league, I want her family to know, and I want the state of Kentucky to know that we feel for her and we want justice. What's right is right, and what's wrong is wrong."
Watch a clip of the press conference, below:
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