At Tuesday's media availability, Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks asked Raptors guard Fred VanVleet a simple question: "How are you?" He likely spoke for many NBA players with his first few words.
"Uh, I'm a little bit all over the place," VanVleet said.
Even as teams continue to fight for the opportunity to win the 2019-20 NBA championship, they aren't focused solely on basketball. Players such as LeBron James, Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown and George Hill have voiced their outrage in recent days following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., over the weekend.
A video released Sunday night showed Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, being shot multiple times in the back by police officers as he attempted to get into his SUV. Blake's three children, ages 3, 5 and 8, were reportedly inside the vehicle. Blake family attorney Ben Crump said Blake is paralyzed and it would "take a miracle" for him to walk again.
MORE: Chris Paul speaks out on Jacob Blake shooting after Thunder win
VanVleet declined to discuss the Raptors' upcoming Eastern Conference semifinal series at the start of his media session. Instead, he spoke thoughtfully and passionately about the Blake shooting and the impact it had on him.
"It's a lot to take in. I think we can't underestimate the trauma that we take in on a daily basis from our phones and watching these videos," VanVleet said. "You watch a guy get shot in front of his entire family, and then right underneath that video is somebody saying, 'Well, hey, he should have just listened to the police.' You take all that in, whether you register it or not, whether you realize what you're looking at or not. You're taking that in. ...
"You almost start to question yourself. Like, 'Damn, maybe he should listen,' and you start to think. Then you snap back to reality, like, 'Nah, that's not right.' It's a lot of emotions to take in."
Fred VanVleet took no basketball questions and only spoke about Jacob Blake. He was incredibly thoughtful and visibly emotional - so I simply asked him how he’s doing. pic.twitter.com/9gSaFf4Bc4
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) August 25, 2020
The 26-year-old guard told reporters the Raptors held a team meeting prior to Tuesday's practice and talked about action they could take — including the possibility of boycotting Game 1 against the Celtics.
"We knew coming here or not coming here was not going to stop anything, but I think ultimately playing or not playing puts pressure on somebody," VanVleet said. "So, for example, this happened in Kenosha, Wis., if I'm correct? Would it be nice if, in a perfect world, we all say we're not playing, and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks — that's going to trickle down. If he steps up to the plate and puts pressure on the district attorney's office, and state's attorney, and governors, and politicians there to make real change and get some justice.
"I know it's not that simple. But, at the end of the day if we're gonna sit here and talk about making change, then at some point we're gonna have to put our nuts on the line and actually put something up to lose, rather than just money or visibility. I'm just over the media aspect of it. It's sensationalized. We talk about it everyday. That's all we see, but it just feels like a big pacifier to me."
VanVleet noted he has felt a sense of "survivor's remorse" because of his status and wealth as an NBA player, but he added that Black athletes and entertainers can't be the only people willing to take a stand on racial injustice and police brutality.
"Like, at what point do we not have to speak about it anymore?" VanVleet said. "Are we gonna hold everybody accountable, or we're just gonna put the spotlight on Black people, or Black athletes, or entertainers and say, 'What are you doing? What are you contributing to your community? What are you putting on the line?'
"And then us, too, we've gotta take responsibility as well. Like, what are we willing to give up? Do we actually give a f— about what's going on, or is it just cool to wear 'Black Lives Matter' on the backdrop, or wear a T-shirt? Like, what does that really mean? Is it really doing anything?"
Fred VanVleet had a thoughtful response on the shooting of Jacob Blake.#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/gg7XY9Wd7E
— Tim and Sid (@timandsid) August 25, 2020
Toronto is scheduled to play Boston on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
