An empty court and bench are shown following the scheduled start time of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- An unprecedented NBA walkout over racial injustice postponed a second day of the playoffs Thursday, although players pledged to finish the postseason even as they wrestled with their emotions about wanting to bring change in their communities.
For now, the basketball courts in the NBA's virus-free bubble at Disney World remained empty.
They are still angry and emotional after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wis. NBA players considered not playing again the rest of the postseason and going home to their communities, although they decided Thursday they wanted to continue, according to a person with knowledge of the details. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.
"We obviously agree that whether we play or not, we still have to do our best to make change and we still have to do our part in the community," Orlando guard Michael Carter-Williams said in a video interview with a Magic public relations official.
"It's obviously not easy, given everything that's going on. But I think that if we can go out there and do our best and also have a list of things that we want to accomplish, everything gets completed."
The NBA decided to postpone three more games Thursday to join the three that weren't played a day earlier.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league hoped to resume today or Saturday.
The sudden stoppages were reminiscent of March, when the NBA suspended its season after Utah center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. Other sports quickly followed until the worldwide sporting landscape had almost completely come to a halt.
NBA players agreed to resume their season in July at Disney, making clear they intended to chase social justice reform just as passionately as a championship. But the video of Blake's shooting on Sunday left them so disgusted and dispirited that they wondered whether they should continue playing.
The players voiced their frustrations in a meeting Wednesday night, then continued talks Thursday morning. As they prepared to do that, NBA referees led a march around campus to show their support in the fight against racism.
Play had been set to resume at 4 p.m. with Game 6 of the Western Conference series between Utah and Denver. Boston and Toronto were also to begin their second-round series before the Clippers and Dallas met in the nightcap.
It was the Raptors and Celtics who had been most vocal about the idea of not playing, but the Milwaukee Bucks acted first when they opted to remain in their locker room instead of playing their Game 5 against Orlando on Wednesday. Kenosha is about 40 miles south of Milwaukee.
Before coming to Disney, many NBA players wrestled for weeks about whether it was even right to play, fearing that a return to games would take attention off the deaths of, among others, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in recent months.
They ultimately decided that playing would give them the largest platform -- while also providing a bigger target for critics.
NBA referees march in support of players seeking an end to racial injustice in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Their march came shortly before players met to decide on restarting the season after three games were postponed Wednesday. (AP Photo/Brian Mahoney)
A Black Lives Matter banner hangs outside of the arena after a postponed NBA basketball first round playoff game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The game was postponed after the Milwaukee Bucks didn't take the floor in protest against racial injustice and the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)
Members of the San Jose Earthquakes depart the stadium where the team had been scheduled to play the Portland Timbers in an MLS soccer match in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. Major League Soccer players boycotted five games Wednesday night in a collective statement against racial injustice. The players' action came after all three NBA playoff games were called off in a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Sunday night.
Officials stand beside an empty court at the scheduled start of an NBA basketball first round playoff game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Milwaukee Bucks didn't take the floor in protest against racial injustice and the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)
Players from Los Angeles FC pose for a group photo on the field prior to the announcement that their game against Real Salt Lake was called off Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Sandy, Utah. Major League Soccer players boycotted five games Wednesday night in a collective statement against racial injustice. The players' action came after all three NBA playoff games were called off in a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Sunday night. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
People pass Petco Park, where a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners was scheduled to be played Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in San Diego. A pair of Major League Baseball games were postponed Wednesday as players across the sports landscape reacted in the wake of the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. Games between the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers in Milwaukee and the Mariners and Padres in San Diego were called off hours before they were set to begin. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A few fans remain in the stands after the scheduled MLS game between Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles FC was postponed Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Sandy, Utah. Major League Soccer players boycotted five games Wednesday night in a collective statement against racial injustice. The players' action came after all three NBA playoff games were called off in a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Sunday night. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Members of the Portland Timbers prepare to depart the stadium where the team had been scheduled to play the San Jose Earthquakes in an MLS soccer match in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. Major League Soccer players boycotted five games Wednesday night in a collective statement against racial injustice. The players' actions came after all three NBA playoff games were called off in a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Sunday night.
The court sits empty after a postponed NBA basketball first round playoff game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The game was postponed after the Milwaukee Bucks didn't take the floor in protest against racial injustice and the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)
