Members of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics paraded onto the court Wednesday wearing white t-shirts – each with a letter of Jacob Blake’s name – and featuring seven bullet holes on their backs.
The team lined up before the empty sidelines spelling out Blake’s name with their shirts, then they took a knee on the court.
Blake is, of course, the Kenosha, Wisconsin, man who was shot on August 23 by police after a brief physical struggle and after refusing to obey repeated demands to submit to arrest. Blake is reportedly paralyzed from the wounds.
The league quickly canceled all its games for Wednesday and Friday in solidarity with the Mystics payers.
Speaking for her team, guard Ariel Atkins delivered a statement about the team’s feelings on the Blake shooting.
“We wanted everybody to feel like they were supported,” Atkins said of the team’s decision. “Understanding that this isn’t just about basketball. We aren’t just basketball players and just because we are basketball players, doesn’t mean that’s our only platform. We need to understand that when most of us go home, we still are Black, in the sense that our families matter.”
“We got this little guy right here,” she said of the child the team brought out onto the court with them for their stunt. “His life matters. He needs to know that he can do what he wants to do whenever he leaves his house. When he grows up. Within reason, you don’t need to go out there crazy, but he matters. And that’s what people need to understand. We’re not just basketball players, and if you think we are, then don’t watch us. You’re watching the wrong sport, because we’re so much more than that. We’re gonna say what we need to say. And people need to hear that. And if they don’t support that, I’m fine with that.”
“We need to understand that these moments are so much more bigger than us, and I really appreciate my team, for not only having my back, but for saying what they feel,” Atkins continued. “It’s hard to say that type of stuff in these moments. It’s hard to be vulnerable in these moments. But I think if we do this unified as a league, it looks different. Because this league is close to, if not over, 80 percent Black women.
“We have cousins, we have brothers, we have sisters, mothers, everyone—we matter,” she concluded. “And I think that’s important. I think people should know that. And I’m tired of telling people that. I know I matter. We know we matter. I’m tired of telling people that. If you don’t know that, if you don’t think that, then you need to recheck it. If you have a problem with us saying ‘Black lives matter,’ you need to check your privilege.”
The WNBA joined Major League Baseball and the NBA in canceling games in recognition of the Jacob Blake incident.
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