Pope Francis praises NBA players for social justice response

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Five players coming from the NBA, Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver, and Anthony Tolliver came to the Vatican and met with Pope Francis.

The Pope showed his utmost respect and lauded the players in standing up for their rights amid the racial justice issues that happened in the US a few months ago.

“You’re champions. But also giving the example of teamwork, you’ve become a model, giving that good example of teamwork but always remaining humble, and preserving your own humanity,” the Pope said to the players.

In 2018, Sterling Brown was taken down to the ground by Milwaukee officials, was shocked with a taser and was arrested.

Brown further said that the police targeted him and went physical with him because he was black, an advocacy the NBA is really vocal against.

Social justice was at the forefront of the NBA’s concluded season in Orlando with “Black Lives Matter’ painted on the court and players donning uniforms featuring social justice messages.

“We are extremely honored to have had this opportunity to come to the Vatican and share our experiences with Pope Francis. His openness and eagerness to discuss these issues was inspiring and a reminder that our work has had a global impact and must continue moving forward,” said Korver.

The NBA players were joined by union executive director Michele Roberts and two other union executives, Sherrie Deans and Matteo Zuretti.