Chris Paul: 'Never Seen Anything Like' Meeting After NBA Opted to Protest

Oklahoma City Thunder guard and National Basketball Players Association President Chris Paul gave his account Friday of the players meeting that nearly resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 NBA playoffs Wednesday.

According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Paul said: "Fifteen years in this league, I've never seen anything like it. The voices that were heard, I'll never forget it."

The playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play in the wake of the police shooting of 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.

There were no games Thursday or Friday either, but a meeting between players and owners Thursday yielded results, and the decision was made to resume the playoffs.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers voted against continuing the season, though it was more of a poll than an official vote.

With two prominent teams willing to end the season, Lakers veteran Danny Green said it was "50-50" whether to resume play, and Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said: "I think it was close. I don't think it was a layup either way."

Per Mannix, players wanted greater opportunities and a more consistent platform to spread a message of social change.

As a result, the two sides agreed to advertising spots during games "dedicated to promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections and raising awareness around voter access and opportunity."

The NBA and the players also agreed to a plan that will turn NBA arenas into polling places as a means of getting more people—specifically Black people—to vote.

Paul said "everyone in the room [was] very passionate about" voting and also that players are fed up with social injustice, racial inequality and police brutality in society: "Guys are tired. We're all hurt. We're tired of seeing the same thing over and over again and everybody expecting us to be OK, just because we get paid great money. We're human. We have real feelings. And I'm glad that we got the chance to get in a room and talk with one another."

The NBA showed its support for the players before the restart in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, by backing their decision to kneel during the playing of the national anthem and allowing them to wear preapproved social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys.

The players and owners have now taken another step together in the wake of the Blake shooting, and all involved are satisfied enough with the new plans in place that playoff basketball will resume Saturday.