An unprecedented NBA walkout over racial injustice postponed a second day of the playoffs Thursday, although players pledged to finish the post-season even as they wrestled with their emotions about wanting to bring change in their communities.

For now, the basketball courts in the NBAB次元官网网址檚 virus-free bubble at Disney World remained empty. And other athletes across the sports world also said they werenB次元官网网址檛 ready to resume playing.

They are still angry and emotional after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. NBA players considered not playing again the rest of the post-season and going home to their communities, although they decided Thursday they wanted to continue, according to a person with knowledge of the details. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.

B次元官网网址淲e obviously agree that whether we play or not, we still have to do our best to make change and we still have to do our part in the community,B次元官网网址� Orlando guard Michael Carter-Williams said in a video interview with a Magic public relations official.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 obviously not easy, given everything thatB次元官网网址檚 going on. But I think that if we can go out there and do our best and also have a list of things that we want to accomplish, everything gets completed.B次元官网网址�

The NBA decided to postpone three more games Thursday to join the three that werenB次元官网网址檛 played a day earlier.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league hoped to resume Friday or Saturday. He added in as statement that a group of players at Disney would hold a video conference call later Thursday with representatives of the owners, including Michael Jordan, and National Basketball Players Association to discuss the next steps.

The tennis tours had already decided they would pause play Thursday at the Western & Southern Open in Flushing Meadows, New York; a number of NFL teams cancelled practices; and pressure was being put on the NHL by members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance to postpone its two second-round playoff games.

A second night of WNBA games were also postponed and other teams and sports pondered whether they would play on.

B次元官网网址淭his is not a strike. This is not a boycott. This is a affirmatively day of reflection, a day of informed action and mobilization,B次元官网网址� WNBA playersB次元官网网址� union president Nneka Ogwumike said on ESPN.

Three Major League Baseball games were postponed Wednesday, although others went on.

The sudden stoppages was reminiscent of March, when the NBA suspended its season after Utah centre Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. Other sports quickly followed until the worldwide sporting landscape had almost completely come to a halt.

NBA players agreed to resume their season in July at Disney, making clear they intended to chase social justice reform just as passionately as a championship. But the video of BlakeB次元官网网址檚 shooting on Sunday left them so disgusted and dispirited that they wondered whether they should continue playing.

The players voiced their frustrations in a meeting Wednesday night, then continued talks Thursday morning. As they prepared to do that, NBA referees led a march around campus to show their support in the fight against racism.

Play had been set to resume at 4 p.m. with Game 6 of the Western Conference series between Utah and Denver. Boston and Toronto were also to begin their second-round series before the Clippers and Dallas met in the nightcap.

It was the Raptors and Celtics who had been most vocal about the idea of not playing, but the Milwaukee Bucks acted first when they opted to remain in their locker room instead of playing their Game 5 against Orlando on Wednesday. Kenosha is about 40 miles south of Milwaukee.

Before coming to Disney, many NBA players wrestled for weeks about whether it was even right to play, fearing that a return to games would take attention off the deaths of, among others, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in recent months.

They ultimately decided that playing would give them the largest platform B次元官网网址� while also providing a bigger target for critics.

The NBAB次元官网网址檚 relationship with the White House eroded when Donald Trump was elected after President Barack Obama was close with some players and officials. Trump was critical of the league again Thursday.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e become like a political organization, and thatB次元官网网址檚 not a good thing,B次元官网网址� Trump told reporters, noting that the leagueB次元官网网址檚 ratings are down from previous seasons. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think thatB次元官网网址檚 a good thing for sports or for the country.B次元官网网址�

Earlier Thursday, Vice-President Mike PenceB次元官网网址檚 chief of staff Marc Short said in a CNN interview that the NBA protests are B次元官网网址渁bsurd and sillyB次元官网网址� when compared to their response to ongoing to human rights violations in China.

READ MORE:

B次元官网网址�-

Reynolds reported from Miami.

___

Brian Mahoney And Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .

Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation