While addressing the potential boycott of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged some of his players have considered leaving the NBA bubble entirely.
"I have a heard a couple of our guys say they were thinking about going home. I don't know if that's a team-wide thing," Nurse told reporters Wednesday, including Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix.
The discussions come in response to the videotaped shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake by Wisconsin police this past weekend.
After Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell recently questioned whether actions the league has taken have made enough of a difference, All-Star Pascal Siakam expressed doubts on Wednesday about how much playing inside the bubble has actually helped create change.
"We came here for a reason, to use our platform, and wanting to send a message and hopefully bring awareness and a change," Siakam said Wednesday. "But it feels like we're stuck. We're not doing anything productive ... it hurts."
Nurse confirmed members of both the Raptors and Celtics held a players-only meeting Tuesday night.
"Boycotting the game has come up for them, as a way to try to demand a little more action. That's really what they want," the Raptors bench boss added. "I think there is enough attention and not quite enough action."
The Raptors-Celtics series is currently scheduled to begin on Thursday.
