“Now ain’t the Time”: Stephen Jackson Strongly Supports Kyrie Irving Against the League’s Resumption

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson wasn’t in favor of the league resuming amidst the protests in the country with views similar to Kyrie Irving’s. Jackson was among the first ones to react after the death of George Floyd. He called him a “twin” while remembering him in an Instagram post. He later also took part in a rally in remembrance of Floyd.

“Nobody is going to be talking about getting justice for all these senseless murders by this police,” Jackson said.

Jackson also wasn’t happy with the NBA leadership. He felt the majority of them haven’t taken any stance against the issues that people have been fighting. He believed the resumption of the NBA would bring them money but there were more important things than the game of basketball.

“None of these white owners have spoken up,” Jackson said. “None of them are taking a stand. Yeah, they might post a video when the season starts saying what we should do, but they ain’t doing nothing.

“Playing basketball ain’t going to do nothing but make them money and take the attention of what we’re fighting for, what we’re marching for. It’s bigger than all of us, and it’s bigger than the game. It’s sad that we’ve still got to explain that to people, bro. It’s sad.”

Stephen Jackson echoes Kyrie Irving

Jackson’s views are similar to what Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving recently suggested. On Friday, Irving led a conference call with around 80 players where he was not in favor of the league’s resumption. He felt that the NBA resuming would shift the attention of the people who have been fighting. Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers’ Avery Bradley and Dwight Howard were also reportedly among those who were against the season’s restart.

However, not all NBA players had similar views. LeBron James was among those who felt resuming the league would not affect the protests in any manner. Also, Houston Rockets’ Austin Rivers wrote on Instagram saying it would only help the ongoing protests.