Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson seems to think so and made it clear in his recent comments.
On Monday when asked about the issue Jackson said:“If it was me, I wouldn’t come to the game; I believe as fans, the loudest statement they could make as far as fans is to not show up to the game.”
The subject of a boycott has been talked about in almost every circle following theinsulting remarks of Clippers owner Donald Sterling. There have already been protest permits granted by the city of Los Angeles scheduled to take place outside of the Staples Center prior to and during Game 5. It seems most people also want the owner to take a hit where it really matters (to him) and that is in his pockets.
Right on cue, The Chumash Casino (presenting sponsor of the Clippers), CarMax and airline Virgin America cut ties with the Clipper organization Monday and a few potential sponsors have taken offers off the table.
RELATED: The Reaction For Donald Sterling’s Racist Remarks
What about the players? Should the players boycott the game and not play at all? When Jackson was asked how players should respond his answer was honest by stating:
“They’re getting paid to play, they’ve got families and bills. This is their job. This is their livelihood. They dreamt their whole life for it. Same thing with us. But it’s different for me to pay to come see it. We talked about it (boycotting the entire series), and the biggest statement would be playing and pouring our hearts out into something we dreamt about doing and doing it in a way where, no matter what color we are, we do this with class and dignity and integrity, and the evidence would clearly dictate that.”
As Kenny Smith said on Inside the NBA “some things are bigger than basketball.” This is definitely one of them. How will fans react during Game 5? Will the Clippers be able to overcome distractions and put together a solid game? There are many unanswered questions going into tomorrow night’s game.
We will all be watching not only the response from NBA commissioner Adam Silver regarding this matter at his press conference tomorrow but also the fans reaction after supporting the Clippers organization wholeheartedly all year long only to be disrespected when the team needs them the most.
UPDATE 1: Doc Rivers spoke to the Los Angeles Times saying,
“I would like to reiterate how disappointed I am in the comments attributed to [Donald Sterling] and I can’t even begin to tell you how upset I am and our players are,” wrote Rivers. “Today, I had a meeting with the members of our organization. When you are around all these people, you realize they are just as upset and embarrassed by the situation and it does not reflect who they really are. That was what I got from all of them.”
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