Head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers Doc Rivers gave an emotional speech yesterday when he was asked about the police shooting of Jacob Blake during a post-game press conference. Rivers spoke on multiple topics, including the Republican National Convention, police reform, and social injustice.
Doc Rivers with raw emotion and a thunderbolt cry for justice: “All you hear is Donald Trump & all of them talking about fear. We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot…It’s amazing, we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back.” pic.twitter.com/19dHu9UlZ5
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) August 26, 2020
The Clippers coach condemned the fear that Republicans were inciting at the prospect of a Democratic presidency. Rivers expressed his dismay and frustration and said that Black people were the ones who should be living in fear as they are constantly being targeted by police.
“All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear,” says Rivers. “We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot…It’s amazing we keep loving this country, and this country doesn’t love us back.”
Rivers went on to say that the police needed to be held accountable and mentioned the overly aggressive behavior in response to peaceful protesters. Some have pointed out the contrast to the relatively calm demeanor in which police deal with white people who brandish guns, including the man who killed two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rivers said that his father was a cop and he believes in good cops, but that things needed to change.
“We’re not trying to defund the police and take all their money away, we’re trying to get them to protect us. Just like they protect everybody else.”
Rivers then teared up and mentioned the video of Jacob Blake.
“If you watch that video, you don’t need to be Black to be outraged,” Rivers said. “You need to be American and outraged.”
Towards the end of his speech, he doubled down on his disgust for the fear mongering used by the Republican party.
Doc Rivers’ openness is a testament to the National Basketball League’s unique approach when it comes to allowing players and staff within the league to vocalize their views on racial justice. Out of all four major American sports organizations, the NBA and its players have arguably been the most vocal of their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. When the NBA resumed their season earlier this summer, “Black Lives Matter” was painted on the main court, and the organization allowed players to add “Black Lives Matter” and other phrases to the back of their jerseys.
Following the shooting of Jacob Blake, some players have discussed boycotting the rest of the season, despite being in the middle of the playoffs. On Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers decided to boycott their games.
