Thunder's George Hill Discusses Jacob Blake, Social Injustice, Capitol Breach

Oklahoma City Thunder guard George Hill opened up about a number of topics during a discussion with Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated, including a pro-Donald Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol and the reality that the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times will not face charges.

"It ain't crazy," he said. "It's the norm. What did you expect? Did you expect anything different? I'm not at all surprised about all of this. I knew this was going to happen."

Hill was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks last season when police officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake in the back. Blake is paralyzed from the waist down as a result.

Hill took a leadership role in the Walt Disney World Resort bubble when Milwaukee's players refused to play in a playoff game against the Orlando Magic in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. He and teammate Sterling Brown read a statement explaining their decision:

The Bucks' actions sparked a domino effect, as players on other teams refused to play and the league postponed a number of games. Play only continued after the league agreed to a number of measures, including a social justice coalition and the use of arenas as voting locations for the 2020 election.

"I'm definitely proud of what I did," Hill said. "I really wasn't trying to spark anything. I was just doing what I thought was genuinely right. I didn't know what others may do or what others may think or the consequences that may come from it or the positives that may come from it. I didn't think about that. I only thought about what I thought was right. What I believe in was what humanity should be and I went for it."

The Bucks released a statement Tuesday in response to the decision from Kenosha (Wisconsin) County District Attorney Michael Graveley not to charge Sheskey or officers Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek, who were also involved in the shooting:

Hill discussed his reaction to the decision:

"I took it hard at first. But I already prepared for this. I prayed about it and prepared [mentally] for it because I knew it was going to happen where none of those cops would be held accountable for anything. We've seen it too many times. It's like that old record player that is continuous that plays the same song over and over.

"I knew. I felt bad for Mr. and Mrs. Blake. I felt bad for Jacob himself. I felt bad that his kids had to see that. You got to continue to live. When things happen, you continue to figure other things out. I will continue to pray for the family, his kids and himself. But I knew justice wouldn't be served."

As for Wednesday's news, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Peter Nickeas of CNN reported "Trump urged his supporters to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that will confirm President-elect Joe Biden's win."

Hundreds of rioters stormed the Capitol, clashed with police and eventually broke through barriers to enter the building and Senate chamber.

Hill mentioned the scene and how differently many in the mob were treated than those who marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against police violence this past summer when asked if there is still the same level of enthusiasm among NBA players when it comes to social justice:

"From the players' standpoint, it's just quiet. Guys are really starting to see that no matter what you do, what you say, at the end of the day it doesn't matter. America is going to live the way that America felt like it should be lived. As we see what is going on today, if the tables were turned and 100 Black men were stealing s--t out of the Capitol building, vandalizing stuff, would blood be shed? Would faces be beaten? I would think so.

"Blood was shed and people were beat for just protesting and people looting different businesses. We're talking about the state capitol here. We're not talking about Target or Walmart. We're talking about the state capitol. If America is allowing this but we're not allowing people to be upset about a guy [white cop] kneeling on someone's neck [George Floyd], it just shows what America really is."

Hill's former team, the Bucks, took a knee alongside the Detroit Pistons following the opening tip of Wednesday's game.