Some NBA teams have already arrived in the Orlando bubble, with other waves traveling today and tomorrow. With the season set to restart in just a few weeks’ time, one of the concerns among players was their ability to continue expressing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and various social justice initiatives. One of the solutions developed by the league in collaboration with the NBPA was a list of 28 social justice messages players can wear on their jerseys in place of their names throughout the remainder of the season.
Per a report from TNT sideline reporter Chris Haynes last night, we know Sixers rookie Matisse Thybulle is one of the players opting to use his voice in this manner, going with “Vote” on his jersey:
Some of the messages players will wear on the backs of their jerseys
— #RingerNBA (@ringernba) July 8, 2020
: @NBAonTNT via @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/eDt2Ms0Kqs
Here’s a clip of the report from Haynes:
NBA insider @ChrisBHaynes shares some of the social justice messages players will have on their jerseys throughout the NBA restart. pic.twitter.com/DHhm9rGa6e
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) July 8, 2020
Thybulle and teammate Tobias Harris both took part in the Black Lives Matter protests in Philadelphia last month:
Toronto Raptor Kyle Lowry joined protests in his hometown of Philadelphia alongside 76ers players Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris pic.twitter.com/bP9JDjua4X
— CBC Sports (@cbcsports) June 8, 2020
In Thybulle’s Zoom conference call with media last Friday, he spoke about why he wanted to take part in the protests:
Matisse Thybulle on why he wanted to take part in protests against racial injustice in Philly: pic.twitter.com/yh5sPOflb7
— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) July 3, 2020
Notably, some players felt the league- and union-approved list of jersey options was insufficient. Sixers forward Mike Scott called it terrible in his call with media on Monday:
Mike Scott: "I don't know, they gave us some names and phrases to put on the back of jerseys. That was terrible. It was a bad list, bad choice, they didn't give players a chance to voice their opinion. They just gave us a list to pick from. So that was bad, that's terrible."
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) July 6, 2020
While it appears Scott won’t be participating in this way, we’ll see which Sixers players join Matisse in utilizing the social justice message options later this month. Sixers fans can’t wait to see “Vote” and the rest of his teammates back out on the court.