George Hill apparently wasn't making a political statement by standing in a back hallway during the U.S. national anthem prior to Saturday's contest against the Orlando Magic.
George Hill chose to stay by the locker rooms during the national anthem. He joined his teammates once it was over. pic.twitter.com/vnvbNs5o6k
— ESPN (@espn) August 29, 2020
Rather, the Milwaukee Bucks veteran said he was simply in the middle of a certain "pregame ritual."
"I take a shit every time before the game," a deadpan Hill told reporters postgame. "I've been doing it for the last four years. If you go back and watch any footage of our previous games before we came down here to this bubble, that's what I do before every game.
"It so happened that you guys (the media) were snoozing in the hallway and caught me coming back from my pregame ritual, and that's what I always do. That's the honest truth."
There was reason to believe the 34-year-old point guard might have been attempting to send a message with his absence. Hill was a central figure in the Bucks' decision not to play Wednesday after police shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 23. He also helped deliver a statement to reporters on behalf of the team following the walkout.
Full statement from the Milwaukee Bucks: pic.twitter.com/jjGEyVcCmB
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 26, 2020
The Bucks' decision to sit out Wednesday's contest prompted the NBA to postpone the rest of its previously scheduled games between Wednesday and Friday.
Hill finished with 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds in the Bucks' 118-104 victory, helping book Milwaukee's ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
