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Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the picturesque NBA superstar in any era, but these days he’s remarkably well-suited for the moment that he finds himself in.
This guy is on point in every way. https://t.co/naJ71A0jJq
— Mitchell Maurer (@Mitchell_NBA) June 7, 2020
Giannis, along with his girlfriend, son, and brother, as well as other members of the Milwaukee Bucks were out in full force over the weekend. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm has an excellent write-up of their march:
“Brook actually sits here and talks to me...I’m just a regular person, a nobody. To have an NBA star have an actual conversation with me about inequality, it means a lot.” - activist Frank Nitty said during yesterday’s protest.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) June 8, 2020
More at @TheAthleticWISC: https://t.co/mhrNI6hFY5
But as it happens, this isn’t the first time that the Bucks have been involved in supporting justice. Just this past December, actually, the team visited a local prison in an effort to bring awareness to the issue of prison reform.
Playing for Justice.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 9, 2020
8pm/ct on @ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gPrDjfXdD2
“I wasn’t seeing guys that made mistakes,” Antetokounmpo said. “I was just seeing humans, humans that were laughing, that were trying hard, humans that shared their stories. That really touched me and I realized sometimes we take things for granted. That’s not going to happen again.”
This visit is being highlighted in a larger piece that ESPN (in partnership with The Undefeated) is featuring tonight, at 8pm CST.
Tonight 9p et @espn
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) June 8, 2020
'Playing for Justice' a behind-the-scenes look at the criminal justice system through #NBA players' eyes. #TheUndefeatedPresents pic.twitter.com/B3HbYZOjnJ
Playing for Justice (9 p.m. ET) chronicles recent visits by the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings to local prisons in their respective communities. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trevor Ariza, Marvin Bagley III, Sterling Brown, George Hill, and NBA legend Caron Butler are among the players who discuss their experiences as they try to spread messages of hope inside the correctional facilities. Narrated by The Undefeated senior NBA writer Marc Spears, the program discusses solutions for a system that adversely affects the black community.
Let this serve as an open thread to discuss the show, as well as the matters that are consuming the world around us. These things are bigger than basketball, and they deserve the same attention and respect as basketball-centric posts do.
As always, we expect everyone in the comments to follow the SB Nation Community Guidelines.