‘This country does not love us back’: Clippers coach Doc Rivers decries police shooting of Black people

Head coach Doc Rivers of the L.A. Clippers talks with guard Lou Williams No. 23 in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks in game five of the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on Aug. 25, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Klement-Pool/Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Aug 26, 2020 / 08:32 AM PDT

Updated: Aug 26, 2020 / 08:32 AM PDT

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Removing a mask, with tears in his eyes, Clippers coach Doc Rivers decried the relationship between police and Black people in the United States following his team’s victory Tuesday in Game 5 of a playoff series against Dallas.

Rivers was the latest inside the NBA’s Disney World campus near Orlando, Fla., to respond to the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wis., joining addresses by the Lakers’ LeBron James and Boston’s Jaylen Brown, among others. Members of the Toronto Raptors said Tuesday they have discussed not playing in the first game of their second-round postseason series against Boston.

The topic of police brutality that has been intertwined with the league’s restart since its inception and Blake’s shooting — captured by cellphone footage — returned it to the fore.

“It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back,” Rivers said. “It’s really so sad.”

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