Milwaukee Bucks boycott Game 5 of series vs. Orlando Magic after shooting of Jacob Blake
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Magic will not be playing Game 5 of their playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Wisconsin-based team is protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake, according to an NBA source.
According to the source, the Milwaukee Bucks have decided to boycott Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. They are demanding justice.
An NBA source told FOX 35's Adam Shadoff that the Orlando Magic will not accept the forfeit. They also said that the Bucks players did not come to the Magic players to talk to them about the idea of boycotting the game until very late. They reportedly made the decision in protest of what was going on and they just did not show up to the game.
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Following the Bucks' decision, all three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice.
The Orlando Magic have also released a statement saying "Today we stand united with the NBA Office, the National Basketball Players Association, the Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the league condemning bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police against people of color.”
MORE NEWS: Juvenile arrested in connection with fatal shooting during Kenosha unrest
Jacob Blake is a Black man who was shot multiple times, apparently in the back, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His father says that he is paralyzed from the waist down and has “eight holes” in his body as a result.
The shooting happened in broad daylight on Sunday by police in Kenosha. It was captured on cellphone video that quickly spread on social media, ignited new protests over racial injustice across the country.
Jacob Blake
The officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in such cases. Authorities released no details about the officers and did not immediately respond to requests for their service records.
The playoff series is currently being led by the Bucks, 3-1.
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The Bucks won the last meeting 121-106. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points to lead Milwaukee to the victory and Nikola Vucevic recorded 31 points in defeat for Orlando.
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