The NBA Coaches Association became the latest to issue a forceful statement regarding the nationwide protests of police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, calling police brutality “shameful, inhumane and intolerable” while promising its members will use their power and platform to affect change in their communities.

This came on the heels of an NBA internal memo from Adam Silver calling for team leadership and ownership to listen to players on the issue and praised players for speaking out over the past few days. A number of current and former players have organized or participated in protests, with even more speaking out on social media, along with teams issuing statements as well as a few owners speaking out and using their platform, like Michael Jordan.

Doc Rivers and some other coaches have likewise issued their own statements outside the NBCA statement, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose to do the same late Sunday night when he called Dave Zirin of The Nation to deliver a lengthy and scathing critique of the response of Donald Trump to the protests.

“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer. To be in his presence makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes. I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade-schooler. Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot.”

This is just one example of Popovich’s fury towards the president in the piece, as he also goes after Mitch McConnell and calls for better organization of protests to have more effectiveness (and to have better known start and end times to, as he hopes, lead to better control and less rioting). As Zirin notes at the end, he was not able to ask how Popovich felt they could achieve that goal when police have often been the ones escalating the violence in the protests, as Popovich got what he wanted to get off his chest, ending the call saying, “The system has to change. I’m willing to do my part. That’s all I’ve got. Bye, Dave.”

That Popovich would take such sharp aim at Trump is unsurprising given he’s been an outspoken critic of Trump for the last four years and has been consistent with his anger towards the White House’s response to issues of racial injustice, gun violence, and more. Pop has never been one to pull punches on his beliefs, and certainly doesn’t here.

View Entire Post ›

You know, gifts that *won’t* end up buried somewhere in the garage, never to be used or seen again.

View Entire Post ›

Roses are red, violets are blue…

View Entire Post ›

When Sally Met Sally.

View Entire Post ›

“When we aren’t asking people to destroy things in our name and people do it anyway, we know that this is something that’s going to blow back on us,” one black activist told BuzzFeed News.

View Entire Post ›

A number of NBA players participated in protests over the weekend as the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked nationwide protests of police brutality towards the black community.

Some, like Stephen Jackson and Jaylen Brown, served as organizers in Minneapolis and Atlanta, while others like Tobias Harris, Malcolm Brogdon, Enes Kanter, Marcus Smart, and more were spotted on the streets of their various cities to support the movement and protest peacefully. Even more players, coaches, owners, and teams have issued statements on the killings, with some taking stronger stances than others, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver offered an internal memo applauding players stepping up and speaking out and also encouraging team leadership and ownership to take this time to listen and learn as their majority black rosters speak on the injustice they face.

The NBA Coaches Association likewise issued a statement on Monday following a call over the weekend that had all 30 head coaches on it, calling its leaders to action. The statement says “police brutality, racial profiling, and the weaponization of racism are shameful, inhumane and intolerable,” and promises that its coaches will use their platform and power to affect change in their communities.

It’s a very forceful statement and an important one, as, like they say early in the statement, the NBA’s coaches oversee rosters that are the majority black and, as such, their players are affected heavily by this issue, both in the emotional toll of seeing the likes of Floyd killed by police and in dealing with profiling and the threat of police violence in their day-to-day life. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 30 coaches will meet yet again on a call on Tuesday to discuss further plans of action, as Atlanta’s Lloyd Pierce is among those leading the way.

Pierce has long been a staunch advocate of civil rights, and so it’s not a surprise he’s taking a leading role in rallying his fellow coaches to step into their communities and put in the work to try and affect change.

For some time now, Gunna had been getting ready for a livestream performance in honor of the release of his new album, Wunna. While this past weekend may not have seemed like the most appropriate time to celebrate anything, Gunna decided not to cancel or postpone the performance. Instead, the show went on, and all proceeds from it went to benefit George Floyd’s family. The rapper was joined by a live band for the performance, which took place on the terrace of a Los Angeles mansion.

Ahead of the performance, Gunna shared his thoughts about the state of our country, writing on Instagram, “This live performance has been scheduled weeks , I was goin to cancel it due to the circumstances of our country! But I also want to speak on it and didn’t kno how to start..I never saw my city like this ! I feel our pain I want to fight for our rights ! But I don’t want US To destroy our own communities! the police have been killing us for years and still are and we should come together around that cause! this live performance is for all the black lives lost to the hands of police murders. We will be sending all the funds raised here to the organizations that support the cause. #georgefloyd #justiceforgeorgefloyd.”

It was a big weekend for Gunna, as it was revealed that Wunna debuted in the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart.

Watch the full performance above.

As the world mourns the death of George Floyd, LL Cool J is the latest musician to speak up against police brutality. In an emotional rap posted to social media, Cool J detailed his experience as a Black man in America.

Maintaining eye contact with the camera, Cool J delivered several emotional verses outlining the injustices that have sparked protests around the country:

“After Chauvin killed George Floyd, we got necks / Molotov cocktails, anarchy on the set / The rich took the loot, so now we look sh*t / Feeling like a caged tiger that’s whipped to do tricks / That’s why I started fires and yelled and threw bricks / They tried to run me over and arrest me and sh*t / Tased, pepper-sprayed, in a cage with the kid / They ran up in the statehouse with the AK’s real quick / But let a n***** try to do that white boy sh*t / Won’t be no rubber bullets ricocheting of ribs / But the white supremacists go in the cops’ faces and spit. […]

Harassed by cops, word to my ancestors’ souls / And watching that man die slow left a hole / He cried for his momma as the murder unfold / If it wasn’t for those phones, Chauvin would be at home / Feeling justified because of George’s skin tone / I’m telling those with melanin, you’re not alone / The new Malcolm, Martin, and Marcus’ are now grown / America is a graveyard full of Black men’s bones / And I ain’t gotta tell ya that Breonna Taylor got played in her own home. […]

So, yeah, you right / We should protect our second amendment rights / Because in a second a dirty cop could kick the door in at night / A truth for a truth and a life for a life / We refuse to live in hell while you’re living in paradise / Being Black in America is like rolling a pair of dice.”

Watch LL Cool J deliver his full rap above.

In response to the death of George Floyd, the music industry is coming together for “Black Out Tuesday,” a day on which record labels, artists, and other entities will go radio silent. The black out is set to take place tomorrow, June 2.

These companies and people have made their announcements with similarly spirited messages on social media, and the one from Warner Records reads:

“This Tuesday, June 2nd, all of Warner Music Group including Warner Records will observe ‘Black Out Tuesday.’ We will support our employees, artists, and global community.

The music business at WMG will not go on as usual.

While this is only one day, we are committed to continuing the fight for real change. We will be using this day to collectively reflect on what we as a company can do to put action towards change and we will be taking steps in the coming weeks and months.

As part of this, we will be contributing to Black Lives Matter and other organizations that are doing crucial work to combat racial injustice.”

Participating labels include Interscope, Def Jam, Eminem’s Shady Records, Columbia Records, Capitol Music Group, and many others. Artists and industry figures are also putting a pause on their activities: Tim Burgess has postponed listening parties, and Apple Music’s Ebro Darden noted, “All of my shows are cancelled. I will air replays of conversations with community activists, politicians and revolutionary music.”

Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.