NBA players are taking the court again, with many choosing to wear social justice messages on their jerseys for at least the first four days of the season.
The messages agreed upon by the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA are: Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can’t Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can), Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am A Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform and Mentor.
Of 350 players listed on rosters for the NBA’s restart, 300 players will wear social justice messages on the back of their jerseys, while 50 players decided to stick with their last names.
(Notable players who will not be wearing social justice messages include: Patrick Beverley, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Paul George, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Kyle Kuzma, Kawhi Leonard, Dejounte Murray, Austin Rivers, Ben Simmons.)
Here’s a team-by-team look at what each player is wearing and the reasons for some of their choices:
Eastern Conference
| Boston Celtics |
Jersey Phrase |
| Jaylen Brown |
Liberation |
| Carsen Edwards |
Equality |
| Tacko Fall |
Liberté |
| Javonte Green |
Enough |
| Gordon Hayward |
Education Reform |
| Enes Kanter |
Freedom |
| Semi Ojeleye |
Love Us |
| Romeo Langford |
Enough |
| Vincent Poirier |
Égalité |
| Marcus Smart |
Freedom |
| Jayson Tatum |
Black Lives Matter |
| Daniel Theis |
Black Lives Matter |
| Kemba Walker |
Love Us |
| Brad Wanamaker |
Enough |
| Tremont Waters |
Stand Up |
| Grant Williams |
Equality |
| Robert Williams III |
Respect Us |
| Brooklyn Nets |
Jersey Phrase |
| Jarrett Allen |
Sí Se Puede |
| Justin Anderson |
Equality |
| Chris Chiozza |
Black Lives Matter |
| Jamal Crawford |
Equality |
| Donta Hall |
Equality |
| Joe Harris |
Equality |
| Rodions Kurucs |
Peace |
| Tyler Johnson |
How Many More? |
| Caris LeVert |
Black Lives Matter |
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot“I think freedom means a lot to everybody especially right now. I think that’s something that is due to everybody and everybody deserves it.”
|
Liberté |
| Jeremiah Martin |
How Many More? |
| Dzanan Musa |
Peace or Equality |
Garrett Temple“The public school system isn’t nearly where it needs to be in a country as powerful as ours. Allowing people to be educated, allowing people to learn more things, maybe even changing some curriculum to make things more applicable to real-life scenarios, I think is something that really needs to happen.” via CNN
|
Education Reform |
| Lance Thomas |
Say Her Name |
| Indiana Pacers |
Jersey Phrase |
| Goga Bitadze |
Equality |
| Brian Bowen II |
Vote |
| Malcolm Brogdon |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Justin Holiday |
Say Their Names |
| Alize Johnson |
Justice |
| Jeremy Lamb |
Black Lives Matter |
| TJ Leaf |
Equality |
| T.J. McConnell |
Equality |
| Naz Mitrou-Long |
Equality |
| Doug McDermott |
Equality |
| Victor Oladipo |
Black Lives Matter |
| Domantas Sabonis |
Mes Lygus (Lithuanian for “Equality”) |
| JaKarr Sampson |
Freedom |
| Edmond Sumner |
Equality |
| Myles Turner |
Respect Us |
| T.J. Warren |
Justice |
| Miami Heat |
Jersey Phrase |
| Kyle Alexander |
Peace |
| Bam Adebayo |
Black Lives Matter |
Jimmy Butler“With no message, no name, it’s going back to who I was. If I wasn’t who I was today, I’m no different than anybody else of color … I wanted that to be my message.”
|
|
Jae Crowder“I chose Black Lives Matter, simply because I just wanted to be behind the movement. … Obviously, some people have a misconception of it and I just want to bring the side that’s understood on my end and that’s just basically everyone getting treated equally and people who have high power, treat everybody the same.”
|
Black Lives Matters |
| Goran Dragic |
Equality |
| Udonis Haslem |
Black Lives Matter |
| Tyler Herro |
Black Lives Matter |
Solomon Hill“When we send our kids to school that may be underfunded, teachers that are underpaid, you look at the facilities, the resources that that kid has, we’re already setting up our youth for failure.”
|
Education Reform |
| Andre Iguodala |
Group Economics |
| Derrick Jones |
Love Us |
| Meyers Leonard |
Equality |
| Kendrick Nunn |
Black Lives Matter |
| KZ Okpala |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Kelly Olynyk |
Equality |
Duncan Robinson“I feel like it demands the conversation to be had, and it pushes it to the forefront, which obviously so much of this movement has really done and it’s forced uncomfortable conversations.”
|
Say Their Names |
| Chris Silva |
Sí Se Puede |
| Gabe Vincent |
Black Lives Matter |
| Milwaukee Bucks |
Jersey Phrase |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo |
Equality |
| Thanasis Antetokounmpo |
Equality |
| Eric Bledsoe |
Freedom |
| Sterling Brown |
Liberation |
| Pat Connaughton |
Equality |
| Donte DiVincenzo |
Equality |
| George Hill |
Justice Now |
| Ersan Ilyasova |
Justice |
Kyle Korver“I just think that in this moment in time, this is the message. Anything I would ever hope to convey on the back of a jersey is represented in these three words.” via Marc Spears
|
Black Lives Matter |
| Frank Mason |
How Many More |
| Brook Lopez |
Justice Now |
| Robin Lopez |
Stand Up |
| Khris Middleton |
Black Lives Matter |
| Marvin Williams |
Black Lives Matter |
| D.J. Wilson |
Black Lives Matter |
| Wesley Matthews |
Vote |
| Orlando Magic |
Jersey Phrase |
| DJ Augustin |
Equality |
| Mo Bamba |
Black Lives Matter |
| Khem Birch |
|
| Michael Carter-Williams |
Liberation |
| Gary Clark |
Respect Us |
| James Ennis III |
Justice Now |
| Evan Fournier |
Justice |
| Melvin Frazier Jr. |
Equality |
| Markelle Fultz |
Respect Us |
| Aaron Gordon |
Freedom |
| Jonathan Isaac |
|
| Wes Iwundu |
|
| Robert “BJ” Johnson |
How Many More |
| Vic Law |
Antiracist |
| Terrence Ross |
|
| Nickola Vucevic“I feel like we’re all equals among each other — no matter our race, no matter our religion, no matter our differences.” |
Equality |
| Philadelphia 76ers |
Jersey Phrase |
| Alec Burks |
Enough |
| Joel Embiid |
|
| Tobias Harris |
|
| Al Horford |
|
| Furkan Korkmaz |
Equality |
| Shake Milton |
|
| Raul Neto |
Equality |
| Kyle O’Quinn |
Hear Us |
| Norvel Pelle |
|
| Josh Richardson |
Say Their Names |
| Glenn Robinson III |
|
| Mike Scott |
|
| Marial Shayok |
|
| Ben Simmons |
|
| Matisse Thybulle |
Vote |
| Toronto Raptors |
Jersey Phrase |
| OG Anunoby |
Say Their Names |
| Chris Boucher |
See Us |
| Oshae Brissett |
Respect Us |
| Terence Davis |
Speak Up |
| Marc Gasol |
Justice |
| Dewan Hernandez |
Black Lives Matter |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson |
Speak Up |
| Serge Ibaka |
Respectez Biso (French dialect of “Respect Us”) |
| Stanley Johnson |
Equality |
| Kyle Lowry |
Education Reform |
Patrick McCaw“I chose Say Their Names to understand the people that have been affected, still are being affected by social justice and systematic racism.” via ESPN
|
Say Their Names |
| Malcolm Miller |
Black Lives Matter |
Norman Powell“I knew where I wanted to stand on this matter and what I wanted to say – it was really close to me and how I felt at the time. Am I next?” via Raptors
|
Black Lives Matter |
| Pascal Siakam |
Black Lives Matter |
| Matt Thomas |
Black Lives Matter |
Fred VanVleet “I was actually going to try to get an old Malcom X phrase, “By Any Means Necessary” on the back but wasn’t able to do that. … I ended up going Black Lives Matter just to keep the movement going.” via Marc Spears
|
Black Lives Matter |
| Paul Watson |
Black Lives Matter |
| Washington Wizards |
Jersey Phrase |
| Issac Bonga |
Peace |
| Troy Brown Jr. |
Black Lives Matte |
| Thomas Bryant |
|
| Jerian Grant |
|
| Rui Hachimura |
|
| Ian Mahinmi |
Vote |
| Garrison Matthews |
|
| Shabazz Napier |
Equality |
| Anzjes Pasecniks |
Equality |
| Jerome Robinson |
Black Lives Matter |
| Admiral Schofield |
Enough |
| Ish Smith |
|
| Jarrod Uthoff |
|
| Moritz Wagner |
Vote |
| Johnathan Williams |
Say Her Name |
Western Conference
| Dallas Mavericks |
Jersey Phrase |
| J.J. Barea |
Igualdad (Spanish for “Equality”) |
| Trey Burke |
Equality |
| Antonius Cleveland |
Equality |
| Seth Curry |
Equality |
| Luka Doncic |
Enakopravnost (Slovenian for “Equality”) |
| Dorian Finney-Smith |
Equality |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. |
Equality |
| Justin Jackson |
Equality |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
Égalité |
| Maxi Kleber |
Gleichberechtigung (German for “Equality”) |
| Courtney Lee |
Equality |
| Boban Marjanovic |
Equality |
| Kristaps Porzingis |
Vienlīdzība (Latvian for “Equality”) |
| Dwight Powell |
Equality |
| Josh Reaves |
Equality |
| Delon Wright |
Equality |
| Denver Nuggets |
Jersey Phrase |
| Will Barton |
|
| Keita Bates-Diop |
Vote |
| Bol Bol |
Black Lives Matter |
| Vlatko Cancar |
Equality |
| Tyler Cook |
Black Lives Matter |
| Torrey Craig |
Love Us |
| Troy Daniels |
Black Lives Matter |
| PJ Dozier |
Respect Us |
| Jerami Grant |
|
| Gary Harris |
Equality |
| Nikola Jokic |
|
| Paul Millsap |
Vote |
| Monte Morris |
Black Lives Matter |
| Jamal Murray |
Freedom |
| Mason Plumlee |
Peace |
| Michael Porter Jr. |
Stand Up |
| Noah Vonleh |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Houston Rockets |
Jersey Phrase |
| Bruno Caboclo |
Justice Now |
| DeMarre Carroll |
|
Tyson Chandler“What I was thinking about doing was wearing Trayvon Martin’s name because I thought that would be a powerful statement. I felt like it would remind people that we don’t know what this young man’s future could have been. … But that wasn’t one of the ones [we could use] so I’ll keep my name on the back.”
|
|
| Chris Clemons |
Justice Now |
| Robert Covington |
Black Lives Matter |
| Michael Frazier |
Equality |
| Eric Gordon |
Equality |
| Jeff Green |
Vote |
| James Harden |
|
| Danuel House Jr. |
|
| Luc Mbah a Moute |
Justice |
| Ben McLemore |
|
Austin Rivers“I wasn’t able to put Trayvon so I’m using my name. I do like some of the messages that they have. I like that some of the players are using [them], but I wanted to go a different route.”
|
|
| P.J. Tucker |
|
| Russell Westbrook |
Black Lives Matter |
| LA Clippers |
Jersey Phrase |
| Patrick Beverley |
|
| Amir Coffey |
How Many More |
| Paul George |
|
| Jamychal Green |
Black Lives Matter |
| Montrezl Harrell |
How Many More |
| Reggie Jackson |
Liberation |
| Kawhi Leonard |
|
| Terance Mann |
I Am A Man |
Marcus Morris Sr.“I just wanted to do something deeper in the community. I am from that. So, I understand the transition. As a community, we can start there [with Education Reform] in doing some things.” via Marc Spears
|
Education Reform |
| Rodney McGruder |
Peace |
| Joakim Noah |
Justice |
| Patrick Patterson |
I Am A Man |
| Landry Shamet |
Equality |
| Lou Williams |
Equality |
| Ivica Zubac |
Enough |
| Los Angeles Lakers |
Jersey Phrase |
| Kostas Antetokounmpo |
Peace |
| Devontae Cacok |
Justice Now |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope |
|
| Alex Caruso |
Black Lives Matter |
| Quinn Cook |
Say Their Names |
| Anthony Davis |
|
| Jared Dudley |
|
| Danny Green |
How Many More |
| Talen Horton-Tucker |
Black Lives Matter |
| Dwight Howard |
|
LeBron James“I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey. It’s just something that didn’t seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal. I would have loved to have a say so on what would have went on the back of my jersey. I had a couple things in mind but I wasn’t part of that process and that’s OK.”
|
|
| Kyle Kuzma |
|
| JaVale McGee |
Respect Us |
| Markieff Morris |
Education Reform |
| Rajon Rondo |
|
| JR Smith |
Justice Now |
| Dion Waiters |
Black Lives Matter |
| Memphis Grizzlies |
Jersey Phrase |
| Grayson Allen |
Enough |
Kyle Anderson“I think the world needs to listen to us — not just our country but the world. Everybody, they need to know what’s going on in our world so that we can make it a better world.”
|
Listen To Us |
| Dillon Brooks |
|
| Brandon Clarke |
Peace |
| Gorgui Dieng |
Black Lives Matter |
| Marko Guduric |
Equality |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. |
Vote |
| Josh Jackson |
I Am A Man |
| Tyus Jones |
I Can’t Breathe |
| John Konchar |
Equality |
| De’Anthony Melton |
|
| Ja Morant |
Enough |
| Jontay Porter |
|
| Anthony Tolliver |
Group Economics |
| Jonas Valanciunas |
Equality |
| Yuta Watanabe |
Peace |
| Justise Winslow |
Speak Up |
| New Orleans Pelicans |
Jersey Phrase |
| Nickiel Alexander-Walker |
Vote |
| Lonzo Ball |
Equality |
| Zylan Cheatham |
Say Their Names |
| Derrick Favors |
Listen To Us |
| Josh Hart |
Say Their Names |
| Jaxson Hayes |
Equality |
| Jrue Holiday |
Say Their Names |
| Brandon Ingram |
Freedom |
| Frank Jackson |
Peace |
| Nicolo Melli |
Uguaglianza (Italian for “Equality”) |
| Darius Miller |
Power To The People |
| E’Twaun Moore |
Equality |
| Jahlil Okafor |
Equality |
| JJ Redick |
Say Their Names |
| Sindarius Thornwell |
Black Lives Matter |
| Kenrich Williams |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Zion Williamson |
Peace |
| Oklahoma City Thunder |
Jersey Phrase |
| Steven Adams |
Kia Kaha (Māori for “Stay Strong” aka “Power To The People”) |
| Darius Bazley |
|
| Deonte Burton |
|
| Hamidou Diallo |
Black Lives Matter |
| Luguentz Dort |
Respekte Nou (Haitian Creole for “Respect Us”) |
| Terrance Ferguson |
Black Lives Matter |
| Danilo Gallinari |
Giustizia (Italian for “Justice”) |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
Equality |
| Devon Hal |
Love Us |
| Kevin Hervey |
Shalom (Hebrew for “Peace”) |
| Mike Muscala |
Peace |
| Abdel Nader |
Peace |
| Nerlens Noel |
Equality |
Chris Paul“I chose ‘EQUALITY’ because it reminds us that in order to have real impact and change, we need to make a conscious effort to level the playing field and create systems that are not bias based on race, education, economics or gender,” via Marc Spears
|
Equality |
| Andre Roberson |
“I Am A Man |
| Dennis Schroder |
Black Lives Matter |
| Phoenix Suns |
Jersey Phrase |
| Deandre Ayton |
Respect Us |
| Aron Baynes |
Equality |
| Devin Booker |
Equality |
| Mikal Bridges |
Respect Us |
| Jevon Carter |
Respect Us |
| Cheick Diallo |
Freedom |
| Ty Jerome |
Enough |
| Cam Johnson |
Equality |
| Frank Kaminsky |
Equality |
| Jalen Lecque |
Equality |
| Elie Okobo |
Equality |
| Kelly Oubre |
Peace |
| Cameron Payne |
Equality |
| Ricky Rubio |
Justice |
| Dario Saric |
Antiracist |
| Portland Trail Blazers |
Jersey Phrase |
| Jaylen Adams |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Carmelo Anthony |
Peace |
| Zach Collins |
Black Lives Matter |
| Wenyen Gabriel |
Antiracist |
| Mario Hezonja |
Stand Up |
| Jaylen Hoard |
Égalité (French for “Equality”) |
| Damian Lillard |
How Many More |
| Nassir Little |
Black Lives Matter |
| CJ McCollum |
Education Reform |
| Jusuf Nurkic |
Ravnopravnost (Bosnian for “Equality”) |
| Anfernee Simons |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Gary Trent Jr. |
I Am A Man |
| Hassan Whiteside |
How Many More |
| Sacramento Kings |
Jersey Phrase |
| Marvin Bagley III |
Freedom |
| Harrison Barnes |
Say Their Names |
| Kent Bazemore |
Education Reform |
| Nemanja Bjelica |
Equality |
| Bogdan Bogdanovic |
Sloboda (Serbian for “Freedom”) |
| Corey Brewer |
Peace |
| Yogi Ferrell |
How Many More |
| De’Aaron Fox |
Antiracist |
| Harry Giles III |
Say Her Name |
| Kyle Guy |
Black Lives Matter |
| Buddy Hield |
Respect Us |
| Richaun Holmes |
Black Lives Matter |
| Justin James |
Peace |
| DaQuan Jeffries |
Power To The People |
| Cory Joseph |
Black Lives Matter |
| Alex Len |
Peace |
| Jabari Parker |
Group Economics |
| San Antonio Spurs |
Jersey Phrase |
| Marco Belinelli |
Uguaglianza (Italian for “Equality”) |
| DeMar DeRozan |
Education Reform |
| Drew Eubanks |
Justice |
| Bryn Forbes |
Equality |
| Rudy Gay |
Justice |
| Keldon Johnson |
Justice |
| Trey Lyles |
Antiracist |
| Chimezie Metu |
|
| Patty Mills |
|
| Dejounte Murray |
|
| Jakob Poeltl |
Black Lives Matter |
| Luca Samanic |
Freedom |
| Lonnie Walker |
Black Lives Matter |
| Quinndary Weatherspoon |
I Can’t Breathe |
| Derrick White |
Enough |
| Tyler Zeller |
|
| Utah Jazz |
Jersey Phrase |
| Tony Bradley |
Peace |
| Jarrell Brantley |
Enough |
| Jordan Clarkson |
Peace |
Mike Conley“I think it is just a truly powerful statement that was made in Memphis during the sanitation strike down there. … That is why I am doing it. The education and also alongside understanding that we are people just like you. ” via Marc Spears
|
I Am A Man |
| Ed Davis |
Education Reform |
| Rudy Gobert |
Equality |
| Joe Ingles |
Ally |
Donovan Mitchell“I wanted to wear Breonna Taylor’s name anyway. It happened in the city where I went to school, to college in Louisville. … There’s no way on earth an innocent woman should be killed in her own home.” via Nick DePaula
|
Say Her Name |
| Juwan Morgan |
Say Their Names |
| Emmanuel Mudiay |
Peace |
| Georges Niang |
|
| Royce O’Neale |
Equality |
| Miye Oni |
Power to the People |
| Rayjon Tucker |
Justice |
| Nigel Williams-Goss |
Justice Now |
| Justin Wright-Foreman |
Justice |
Features — The Undefeated
