Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard said being involved in a restarted NBA season is a risk he is willing to take and playing is the best way he can make a positive impact in his community.
Five-time All-Star Lillard was speaking on ESPN's The Return of Sports show on Monday and described weighing the desire to return to play against the importance of contributing to the fight for social justice in the wake of the killing of George Floyd as a "struggle".
"With the pandemic that we've been in over the course of a few months, I think basketball would have been great for that or will be great for that because it'll be us getting back to somewhat normalcy, of having our athletes on TV playing and doing what we do," he said.
"But I think as far as the racial injustice, I think that is where a lot of the struggle is for a lot of athletes. I think are our league is made up of so many African-American players and a lot of our hearts are with our people, our minds are with our people and we feel like we should be a part of that. We should be a part of that fight.
"That is what the struggle is. I think that's what you hear in a lot of guys coming out saying, you know, maybe we should be focused on that instead of worrying about going back in and jumping into this season."
A plan to resume the 2019-20 season on July 30 with 22 teams competing in a campus-style environment at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida, has been agreed by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
The 'bubble' concept of keeping teams quarantined for anywhere from six weeks to three months still has details to be finalised.
The feasibility of pulling off such a grand experiment was complicated last week when several players, including Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving and the Lakers' Dwight Howard, voiced concerns about player safety and, more pertinently, the optics of the league's black athletes returning to action at a time when the world is calling for social reform.
Irving told The Athletic's Shams Charania: "I don't support going into Orlando. I'm not with the systematic racism. Something smells a little fishy. I'm willing to give up everything I have (for social reform)." Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported Irving said he would support the players if they decided to proceed with the scheduled restart.
Lillard said he felt choosing to play offered him the best method of supporting social reform.
"I can only speak for myself, but I think it goes for other guys as well, we are the financial support for our families and for a lot of our community," he said. "We bring a lot of that financial responsibility to support black businesses and black communities. So it makes a lot of sense for us from that standpoint.
"But I think a lot of guys in the league have a point. I think Kyrie and Dwight have a point. You know, so I understand it all.
"This is what we do. This is our job and this is how we take care of our families. And also this is my way of providing for communities, impacting in my community. So, to play the game I love, to resume the season, I guess this is a risk that I'm willing to take."