Jimmy Butler (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NBA won’t allow Jimmy Butler to wear no name on his jersey.
The NBA announced it would allow players to share signs of support for social and racial issues on their jerseys for the 2020 season but while that was a great idea in theory, in practice, it’s had it’s flaws. The NBA has a pre-approved list of words and phrases the players can choose from and many athletes have found their causes to not be represented.
Now reports say that Jimmy Butler had asked to have nothing, including his last name on his jersey for the 2020 season and that request was denied.
In a previous interview, Butler explained why he wanted nothing on his jersey.
“I have decided not to,” said Butler. “With that being said, I hope that my last name doesn’t go on there as well. Just because I love and respect all the messages that the league did choose, but for me, I felt like with no message, with no name, it’s going back to like who I was.”
Russel Westbrook might have an option for unhappy players
This news comes the same time there were reports that Russel Westbrook would be creating a workaround for those players who didn’t feel represented. Some of the phrases to be included in the line would be Systemic Racism; Police Reform; I Can’t Breathe; No Justice No Peace; Break the Cycle; Strange Fruit; By Any Means; Power to the People; Equality; and Am I Next?
“And if I wasn’t who I was today I’m no different than anybody else of color and want that to be my message in the sense that just because I’m an NBA player, everybody has the same right no matter what and that’s how I feel about my people of color.”
Unfortunately, neither of those options will work for Butler.