The NBA has condemned the murder of another young black man at the hands of the police

Anger, frustration, sadness and outrage are evident in the NBA the day that the video showing the way Tire Nichols, a 29-year-old black driver, was killed by five Memphis Police officers who was beaten up after being pulled over for a traffic violation in early January.

Several teams in the league have released statements of support for the family, as have the NBA and the players’ union. The emotions were palpable, as they have been many times after similar acts of violence perpetrated by the police against black citizens in recent years.

Taylor Jenkins, coach of the Memphis Grizzlieswatched a televised interview Friday in which Tire Nichols’ mother discussed the loss of her son. “I cried”he confessed trainer.

“This is crazy”complained Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who opened his pregame press conference on Friday by talking about Nichols, before even being asked a question about it.

The police officers, also black, are charged with intentional but manslaughter, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, police misconduct and abuse of authority.

For their part, the Grizzlies played a game in Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd, another black citizen, died after a white officer had crushed his neck with a knee, an act that ignited national protests against the atrocities of the police and racism by the authorities.

That game took place on Friday with a perceptible sadness. “This was a senseless act that should never have happened,” Jenkins said. “Being away from Memphis these past couple of days, it’s been really hard to deal with what’s going on in our city. We talk to the people, the leaders there, our team and our families. But of course we have a basketball game to play tonight, even though there’s a lot more we’re focused on than going home and being there to give hope to our city as it mourns and mourns.”

They didn’t look the other way

A minute’s silence was held before the game in Minnesota. Several other teams, including Miami, Atlanta, Cleveland, Minnesota and Milwaukee have also released statements..

“We are outraged by the fatal beating Tire Nichols received from five Memphis Police officers,” the Bucks said in their statement. this fact underlines the need to make progress in improving relations between the police and the community“.

The NBA released its statement a couple of hours after the video of the beating was released, sparking protests in multiple cities.

“The images of Tire Nichols’ life being needlessly interrupted are horrendous”the League noted. “Although there have been steps towards accountability in this case, the NBA family is committed to working with attorneys, policy makers and regulators to work toward solutions to the problems we continue to face.”