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Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Black Lives Matter protests and gave protestors water.
Black Lives Matter protests in Milwaukee saw some recognizable faces join their ranks on Saturday, as NBA reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and several other Milwaukee Bucks participated in the peaceful protests.
Donning grey T-shirts that said “I can’t breathe,” the Bucks superstar and his teammates arrived in U-haul vans to hand out water and snacks to protestors. The Greek Freak was joined by Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Brook Lopez, Frank Mason III and Giannis’ brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
According to Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Bucks in attendance joined local activist Frank Nitty in marching down 27th Street in Milwaukee with fellow protestors. All players wore the same shirts, as well as masks and gloves due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also spoke to the crowd.
“This is our city, man,” he told them. “We got to come out here and support.”
“We want change, we want justice, and that’s why we’re out here,” he continued. “That’s what we’re going to do today. That’s why I’m going to march with you guys. I want my kid to grow up here in Milwaukee and not to be scared to walk in the streets. I don’t want my kid to have hate in his heart.”
Brown’s participation was also significant, given his personal experience with police brutality and racism. In January of 2018, he was taken down, tased and arrested by Milwaukee police officers over a simple parking violation. Several of those officers were suspended or retrained after an internal investigation. Brown filed a lawsuit and rejected a $400,000 offer to settle.
It’s been incredible to see professional athletes around the world use their platform to speak out, participate in protests and let the world know about their support for Black Lives Matter.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and several Golden State Warriors players participated in protests in Oakland earlier this week, Damian Lillard did the same in Portland, LeBron James has been extremely vocal on his social media channels and when New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees spoke out of turn, a wave of prominent athletes corrected his uninformed opinion.