Guard Chris Paul, known on the court for his exceptional passes, passed once again on simply brushing off what’s going on outside the NBA bubble, and he does not care that some fans do not exactly share his passion for social issues far beyond basketball boundaries.
“It’s emotional …we all hurt,” Paul said on Friday, his voice at times quivering. “We’re all tired of seeing the same thing over and over and over again. And everybody expects us to be OK, just because we get paid great money.”
Paul, president of the NBA players association, said a three-day break from games was vital for the league following the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by police officers in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday. Blake is paralyzed from the seven shots from one officer, his family has said, and is recovering in a hospital in Milwaukee County.
“We’re human, we have real feelings, and I’m glad we got a chance to get in a room together and talk with one another,” Paul said of players from the 13 teams remaining in the bubble near Orlando, Fla., convening for a heart-to-heart meeting during an unplanned break in the postseason. “And not just cross paths and say, ‘Good luck in your game today.’”
Paul, a husband and father of two children, said it’s been especially tough being away from home during this time — when he’d like to be holding his kids and trying to explain what is going on in the country around them.
“We’re human,” repeated Paul, adding: “We don’t always do everything right, but for me it’s been really tough just for the simple fact … that when things like this happen I like to talk to my kids about it … I’m a long way from my kids, and I can’t explain to them why this video (of the Blake shooting) is going all over the Internet.
“I have an 11-year-old Black son who is witnessing this stuff day in and day out, and we’re just trying … I just want to go back and tell our players, great job, keep doing what you’re doing, and we’re going to continue to make change with action.”
Paul said he has visited with Blake’s father, also named Jacob, and that the dad had attended Winston-Salem State University in Paul’s hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Paul, 35, was instrumental in bringing the NBA and its players together for the playoffs in the bubble in the first place, with the idea they could continue spreading a message for social justice while trying to win a title.
That is why, Paul said Friday, the players decided to press on in the bubble with most of the opening-round series still to be decided, because they have a national platform to perform on. The Rockets and Thunder, in a series tied 2-2, play Game 5 at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, a contest postponed from Wednesday.
“We had deep conversations, and we really had an opportunity to address a lot of things,” said Paul, who played the previous two seasons for the Rockets before he was traded to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook. “The shootings that continue to happen, it creates a whole lot of unrest. For us to be a predominantly African-American league, and to see our Black brothers being shot and killed on a daily basis, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to us.
“Everyone expects us to go out and play, I get it, but we needed some time — we need some time to refocus — we’re human, at the end of the day. A lot of times people pass a lot of judgment about what we should or shouldn’t do, but I give our guys a lot of credit, because they’ve been doing a hell of a job … down here performing and speaking on social justice. We understand the platform that we have, and we want to keep our foot to the pedal, and keep speaking on the different things that are occurring.”
Billy Donovan is in his fifth season coaching the Thunder, and in his first coaching Paul. Donovan said he’s grateful for what his team leader has provided Oklahoma City in the last 12 months, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and following the death of Houstonian George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in late May.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a president of the players association who’s had to endure and handle what all he’s had to handle for this season,” Donovan said. “He’s a remarkable guy who has an unbelievable ability to put his focus on so many different things, and compartmentalize all the things that are going on. A lot of times people fail to realize that Chris is a son, a brother, a father and a husband.
“He has a huge role with his family, and his family is very important to him. But he’s human like everybody else, and the job he has done throughout all of this has been absolutely remarkable.”
Paul said during the players’ meeting they had a chance to learn about the historic Cleveland Summit in 1967, led by NFL icon Jim Brown and a call for equality for Black Americans. Paul said the players’ meeting this week was the NBA’s version of the Cleveland Summit, and he was grateful.
“Fifteen years in this league, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Paul said. “The voices that were heard, I’ll never forget it. A lot of us had the opportunity to read about and see the pictures of the Cleveland Summit …
“The ones who came before us, the Muhammad Alis, the Jim Browns, the Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, and how powerful they were. We’re not saying that we’re that, but what we’re doing right now in our league is huge.”
brent.zwerneman@chron.com
twitter.com/brentzwerneman
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Chris Paul: ‘We all hurt … we are human’ - Houston Chronicle
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