Protests against police brutality and racial inequality have intensified this week after a police officer in the southeastern Wisconsin city of Kenosha shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back. Two protesters were killed and a third was injured in a subsequent shooting nights later.
The Black Lives Matter protests have spilled over into professional sports. Professional athletes led by the NBA boycotted their games on Wednesday night amid players’ ire over Blake’s shooting and protesters’ deaths specifically and inaction on racial justice issues generally.
President Trump disparaged the NBA on Thursday after professional basketball players sat out playoff games in protest over police shootings and racial inequality.
“People are tired of the NBA,” Trump said during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “They’ve become like a political organization and that’s not a good thing. I don’t think that’s a good thing for sports or for the country.”
After skipping Wednesday’s games, players voted to continue the remainder of the playoffs, ESPN reported. Three games were postponed Thursday and others are expected to resume Friday, according to The Athletic.
