Amid reports that Kyrie Irving made a plea for players to sit out the upcoming NBA restart as a protest for racial justice, former Jazzman and current Milwaukee Bucks guard Kyle Korver says that he is willing to sit out the NBA resumption in Orlando and stand with his black teammates and friends if they think that is the best way to bring about change.
“As a white man, as a white athlete, if my black teammates and friends and brothers feel like the best way to go about real change is to not play, I stand with them.” — Kyle Korver
“As a white man, as a white athlete, if my black teammates and friends and brothers feel like the best way to go about real change is to not play, I stand with them. I’m OK with that. If we think that is the best way to change, I care more about change happening than a championship,” Korver said.
Korver made the comments in a podcast with Richard Jefferson.
“First, I think that everyone that is engaging in this conversation right now, whatever stance you may have, wants significance change to happen. I feel like there’s been a lot of criticism towards different groups about what’s right and what’s wrong and I think we first we need to acknowledge that change needs to happen,” Korver said.
Korver said that whatever the plan is, the players need to stand together.
“Whatever we choose to do, there needs to be a plan and we need to be unified and we need to go for it,” Korver said.
"I care more about change happening than winning a championship."@KyleKorver stands with his black teammates if they decide to not play this season.
— ESPN (@espn) June 16, 2020
(via @Rjeff24) pic.twitter.com/Ypnc96AuU7
Korver, who plays for the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks, said that he feels the Bucks could win a championship this year and wants to win.
“Is there a way to do both? I think there’s a conversation there. I’m going to follow the lead of my black brothers and teammates on this. I stand with them and whatever they want to do, that’s what I want to do. I want change to happen and I want to be a part of that in whatever role that I can,” Korver said.
In April of 2019, Korver penned a piece for the Players’ Tribune about white privilege. Then a player for the Jazz, Korver’s article touched on police brutality experienced by Thabo Sefolosha and the Russell Westbrook incident that happened at Vivint Arena.