Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart held up a sign that read "Abolish ICE" during player introductions at an Unrivaled game Sunday, just a day after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
After the game, a 76-71 victory for Stewart's Mist over the Vinyl, Stewart answered questions about why she decided to hold up the sign. "Really all day yesterday, I was kind of just disgusted," Stewart said. "I wanted to kind of have a simple message of abolish ICE, which means to uplift families and communities—having policies to uplift family and communities instead of fueling fear and violence. When human lives are at stake, it's bigger than anything else."
Stewart, whose wife Marta Xargay Casademont is a Spanish citizen, was one of several sports figures who spoke out this weekend about Pretti's killing and the federal government's violent occupation of Minneapolis. Joining Stewart in making a straightforward declaration of his feelings was Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who tweeted, "Alex Pretti was murdered," on Saturday.
Not everyone was so clear-eyed. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was asked for his thoughts following Sunday's game, which had been postponed on Saturday and featured a pregame moment of silence for Pretti that was punctuated by fans yelling anti-ICE slogans. Edwards tried to grant himself the "he don't have internet" excuse that Young Thug once bestowed on James Harden.
"Man, I just love Minnesota," Edwards said. "All the love and support that they show me, so I'm behind whatever they with. I don't really have social media so I'm not really in tune with everything, but I've heard about the stuff that's going on, so me and my family are definitely praying for everybody."
Steve Kerr, whose Warriors defeated the Timberwolves yesterday, took some time out of his pregame press conference to express his concern about how "divided" the nation is becoming. "We're being divided by media for profit, by misinformation," the Warriors head coach said. "There's so much out there that is really difficult for all of us to reconcile, so in times like these you have to lean on values and who you are and who you want to be, either as an individual or a country ... That's what's so sad about all this, is that we're at each other's throats right now. You can't just say, 'I'm right and the other person's wrong.'"
Kerr and Edwards were more or less in line with the National Basketball Players Association, which on Sunday released a statement declaring that NBA players can "no longer remain silent," while not specifying what sort of noise they plan to make:
Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of the fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent.
Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.
The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all.
The NBPA and its members extend our deepest condolences to the families of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, just as our thoughts remain focused on the safety and well-being of all members of our community.
One good step to breaking the silence might be at least identifying who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Aside from Stewart, Haliburton, and former NBA hooper Isaiah Thomas, it feels like many players in the league are a little out of practice. Athletes will surely have many more opportunities to make their feelings known in the coming weeks and month, but right now it feels like we're a long way off from where we were in 2020.
