Thunder guard shared 'emotional' conversation with Jacob Blake's father
Saturday 29 August 2020 13:03, UK
Chris Paul says he is tired of the same type of situation occurring again and again when it comes to issues of police brutality and racism in America.
The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is hoping the player protests that shut down NBA games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will have an impact.
The boycott occurred after Sunday's shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, located about 40 miles south of Milwaukee.
"Right now what we are doing in our league is huge," Paul said Friday during media availability shortly after the NBA announced it will resume play on Saturday. "For the young guys in our league to get a chance to see how guys are really coming together, because guys are tired.
"When I say tried, we're not physically tired. We're just tired of seeing the same things over and over again."
Paul said he spoke to the father of Blake and it hit home with him on a deeper level.
"He went to Winston-Salem State, was a graduate, and was in my hometown of Winston-Salem (North Carolina) for a while," Paul said. "It's emotional, especially when you're a black man.
"We're all tired of seeing the same thing over and over and everybody expects us to be OK because we get paid great money. You know, we are human. We have real feelings and I'm glad we got the chance to get in a room together to talk with one another and not just cross paths and say 'Good luck in your game today'."
The 35-year-old Paul is finding that being in the bubble near Orlando isn't the best scenario when an incident as serious as the the shooting of Blake occurs. He said he knows his kids have heard about the seven shots that were fired and that Blake is currently paralysed from the waist down.
"I tell you, for me, it's tough for the simple fact because when things like this happen, I like to talk to my kids about it," Paul said. "I'm a long way from my kids and I can't explain to them why this video is going all over the internet."
Thunder coach Billy Donovan saw Paul's leadership in action in recent days as the possibility of the season being halted was real.
He watched the interaction between all the players, coaches and league officials and was impressed.
"The involvement I've had to be part of some of these meetings as it relates to social justice and the platform that is here inside this bubble, I think is moving in an incredibly positive direction for change that is necessary," Donovan said.
Reaching the conclusion to continue the season wasn't an easy process. Emotions were high and terse exchanges didn't only occur among players.
Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley reportedly had a tense confrontation with National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) executive director Michele Roberts, according to a report by Yahoo Sports.
Roberts reportedly was informing players of the financial ramifications if the playoffs were cancelled when Beverley interrupted. He took issue with Roberts' logic and stated a differing opinion.
Eventually, Roberts asked if she could continue with the presentation and Beverley reportedly shot back, "No, I pay your salary."
According to the report, Paul, who is the NBPA president, and Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem intervened to calm the tensions.
Beverley addressed the situation in an availability session on Friday.
"We had a very interesting conversation," Beverley said. "The (Players Association) is like a family. You don't always agree with your family members and that's OK. You communicate about it and you try to make it better. Whatever the dialogue is and whatever you guys think it is, we made things better yesterday, meeting with the owners, and that's what most important."
