Los Angeles Clippers head coachDoc Rivers gave an emotional post-game interview responding to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.- Rivers contrasted the message of fear that Trump and the Republican National Convention spoke of with the actual fear that Black Americans live with every day.
- "All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear," Rivers said. "We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot.
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers gave an emotional post-game interview on Tuesday speaking in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rivers began by contrasting the message of fear that Trump and the Republican party promoted with the actual fear that existed in the everyday lives of Black Americans.
"What stands out to me is, just watching the Republican convention, and they're spewing this fear," Rivers said. "All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear. We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We're the ones that, we're denied to live in certain communities. We've been hung. We've been shot. And all you do is keep hearing about fear."
At that point, Rivers' voice broke a bit, as he fought back the tears and continued.
"It's amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back," Rivers said. "It's really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach. And I'm so often reminded of my color. It's just really sad."
Rivers noted the difference with how police treated protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement compared to those who protested the COVID-19 lockdowns across states earlier in the year.
"We got to do better. But we got to demand better. It's funny. We protest. They send riot guards. They send people in riot outfits. They go up to Michigan with guns. They're spitting on cops. Nothing happens.
"The training has to change in the police force. The unions have to be taken down in the police force. My dad was a cop. I believe in good cops. 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."
He continued:
"I didn't want to talk about it before the game, because it's so hard to just keep watching that. That video, if you watch that video, you don't need to be Black to be outraged. You need to be American and outraged. And how dare the Republicans talk about fear. We're the ones that need to be scared. We're the ones having the talk. To every Black child. What white father has give his son a talk about being careful if you get pulled over? It's just ridiculous. And it keeps going. There's no charges. Breonna Tayl0r — no charges. Nothing. All we're asking is that you live up to the Constitution. For everybody. For everyone. Thank you."
You can watch Rivers' comments in their entirety below.
Rivers wasn't the only person inside the
According to reports, the Toronto Raptors discussed potentially boycotting the first game of their second-round series against the Boston Celtics to demand action.
Before the NBA restart began, there was some debate amongst players over whether or not it was right to return to play, or if the players would be better off keeping the focus on activism as protests and marches took place across the country after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers.
Now inside the bubble, some players have expressed their frustrations that they can't do more, but comments from Rivers and many of the players show that just because the season has restarted, many are still committed to enacting change.
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