Report: Lakers, Clippers vote not to finish playoffs
Players on the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers voted not to finish the remainder of the 2019-20 playoffs, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Every other team voted to continue playing, Charania reports.
Following the vote, Lakers star LeBron James reportedly left the meeting along with his teammates and members of the Clippers. Before departing, James said he wanted to see more involvement and action from NBA team owners, according to Charania.
James also called on commissioner Adam Silver to do more on issues surrounding social justice, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
It's unclear if the Clippers and Lakers intend to play the rest of their playoff games. However, all players plan to hold another meeting to discuss the fate of the postseason at 11 a.m. Thursday - the same time as a scheduled call between the NBA's board of governors, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The vote was conducted during a players-only meeting inside the NBA's resort in Orlando after several teams decided not to participate in Wednesday's games in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The league has since postponed the games.
There also seems to be momentum toward not playing the three playoff games currently set for Thursday, though no decision has been made, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, and Clippers are currently scheduled to play Thursday.
Wednesday's meeting was regarded as more of an informal poll than a conclusive vote on the fate of the postseason, according to Wojnarowski. However, it was said to have ended in an "ugly" manner, a source told David Aldridge of The Athletic.
"It was emotional. Heated," one player told Stadium's Jeff Goodman. "It doesn't look good right now, but we're all hoping that everyone will sleep on it and maybe we can figure it out tomorrow because most of us still want to find a way to play."