Jerami Grant Uses Media Availability to Advocate for Justice for Breonna Taylor

Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant chose to use his media availability Wednesday to keep the focus on social justice issues.

Grant used his time to remind people that the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor have not been charged or arrested:

Taylor, who was 26 years old at the time of her death in March, was shot eight times and killed when officers raided her apartment using a no-knock warrant, though the officers involved said they did knock. The raid was a part of a narcotics investigation into two men who lived 10 miles away, with police securing the warrant because a detective said one of the men previously had a package delivered to Taylor's address.

Taylor was asleep at the time of the raid but her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot at the police who entered and attempted to call 911, believing an intruder had broken into the house. In the corresponding fire, Taylor was killed. Walker was initially charged with attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault, though both charges were later dropped. There were no drugs in the house.

None of the three detectives involved in the raid—Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly—were arrested or charged with a crime. Hankison was later fired, while Cosgrove and Mattingly were put on administrative reassignment.

Many NBA players were hesitant to return to play this season, fearing it could serve as a distraction from the social justice movement happening around the country as protestors take to the streets to demand justice for Taylor, George Floyd and other Black people whom police have killed.

The NBA and NBPA agreed on a number of social justice-oriented messages players could wear on the backs of their jerseys, like "Black Lives Matter" or "Equality." But Grant has chosen to use his platform in a different way, attempting to keep the attention on Taylor and getting justice for her killing during his media time.