With the NBA finally returning on Thursday, questions have arisen as to whether players will kneel during the national anthem.
Questions have also been asked of the NBA and its commissioner Adam SIlver about how the league will react if players silently protest by kneeling during the anthem.
This comes after ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported on Tuesday night that the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz are planning a unified protest for their Thursday opener, which also happens to be the first game of the restart.
“The NBA has had a rule on its books that preceeded David Stern, which was standing for the national anthem,” Adam Silver told Good Morning America.
“Having said that, I respect peaceful protest. I’m not sure what our players will do when they come out tomorrow night, and we’ll of course address it at the time, but I also understand these highly unsual times.”
The rule Silver mentioned has been on the books since 1981.
While it has been widely speculated that the NBA will not enforce this rule, Commissioner Adam Silver wouldn’t commit to that notion during the interview.
Instead, he reiterated that he and other league officials would evaluate the protests when they unfolded.