Barack Obama Praises NBA Players For ‘Standing Up For What They Believe In’

On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team led a walkout at Walt Disney World to protest the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday. Hours later, former President Barack Obama took to Twitter to voice his support for the NBA team.

Obama Supports Protesting NBA Players

“I commend the players on the Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like Doc Rivers, and the NBA and WNBA for setting an example,” Obama tweeted. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values.”

Obama wrote this alongside a video of Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers becoming emotional as he discussed the shooting earlier this week.

“We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot,” Rivers said. “We’re the ones that are denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung, we’ve been shot. All you do is keep hearing about fear. It’s amazing to me why we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back.”

“It’s really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach,” he added. “I’m so often reminded of my color. It’s just really sad. We got to do better. But we got to demand better.” 

Obama’s Brother-In-Law Speaks Out

Obama’s brother-in-law Craig Robinson, who is head of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, also had words of praise for the players.

“I just think it took a lot of courage to do what they did,” the brother of Michelle Obama said, according to Yahoo News. “That’s for sure. For all these young people who are trying to make their voices heard, we all have a different way of doing it. I commend them for trying to bring some awareness for a tragic situation.”

RELATED: LeBron James Taunts Trump After He Suggests Americans Turn Off NBA Games

The political undertones of this situation became clear later in the conversation, when Robinson tied it back to politics. 

“Listen, when Barack was president, it was a hopeful time for a lot of people,” Robinson said. “Right? And in some ways it was an awakening for a lot of people. We had record voter turnout. We had record numbers of people who were sort of working at a grassroots level on the political front. Over the last four years, it feels like we’ve lost a little of that traction. I don’t think the hope is gone. I don’t think the passion is gone.”

Sports Have Become Politicized 

This unfortunately sums up how politicized sports have become.

There was a time when sports were a form of escapism from politics and the rest of the evils of the world, but those days sadly seem to be gone forever.

Now, Americans can’t enjoy watching a professional basketball game without being lectured to by a group of overpaid 20-something millionaires about politics and social justice causes. 

It really is a shame. 

READ NEXT: Meghan Markle Gets Political: Teams Up With Michelle Obama To Register Voters