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Celtics' Marcus Smart at Boston Protest: 'We Won't Stop Until We Get Justice'
May 31, 2020
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart joined protesters in Boston for a peaceful gathering Sunday night in the wake of George Floyd's death after since-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Smart told A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston that "we won't stop until we get justice":
"We're going to have to come out here and let our voice be heard because we stand for the truth. We stand for justice. And we won't stop until we get justice. And that's really what this is about. And I just want to say to everyone who thinks this is something more than it is, it's not. Despite color or gender, the truth is the truth. Justice is justice, and justice hasn't been served and people are pissed off about it. We're here to keep George Floyd's name alive and keep it going and his legacy. Something has to change, and we're here trying to make a change."
Smart's teammate, Jaylen Brown, said he drove from Boston to Atlanta to join the protests in that city (h/t Tim Bontemps of ESPN):
"I drove 15 hours to get to Georgia, my community. This is a peaceful protest. Being a celebrity, being an NBA player, don't exclude me from no conversations at all. First and foremost, I'm a black man and I'm a member of this community. ... We're raising awareness for some of the injustices that we've been seeing. It's not OK.
"As a young person, you've got to listen to our perspective. Our voices need to be heard. I'm 23 years old. I don't know all of the answers. But I feel how everybody else is feeling, for sure. No question."
Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, Long Island Nets (G League) guard Justin Anderson and rapper Lil Yachty also joined Brown.
"I've got brothers, I've got sisters, I've got friends that are in the streets, that are out here, that haven't made it to this level, that are experiencing it, that are getting pulled over, just discrimination, day after day," Brogdon said. "Dealing with the same bulls--t. This is systematic."
Other NBA players and personnel joined in protests around the country, including former NBA player Stephen Jackson—a friend of Floyd's— Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and guard Josh Okogie in Minnesota and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and players Justin Jackson, Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber and Jalen Brunson in Dallas:
"[Even] though I've tried, I haven't done enough and I don't think any of us have done enough," Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told 95.7 The Game's Damon, Ratto & Kolsky show Friday (h/t Marcus White of NBC Sports). "When I say us, I mean white people. We haven't done enough. It's just the truth. If we had, this sort of thing wouldn't be happening."