Washington: The National Basketball Association (NBA) said in a statement hat it has postponed the three playoff games scheduled for Wednesday in light of the Milwaukee Bucks team’s decision to boycott the games over the police shooting of African-American man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Blake, 29, was shot seven times in his back by a Kenosha police officer on Sunday as he attempted to enter his car and disregarded the officers’ orders to surrender. The injuries Blake sustained have resulted in him being paralyzed from the waist down.
“The NBA and the NBPA [National Basketball Players Association] today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games… have been postponed,” the statement said on Wednesday.
The three playoff games scheduled for Wednesday also included the Houston Rockets against the Oklahoma Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trailblazers. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled, according to the statement.
The shooting prompted riots in Kenosha in addition to other US cities, complete with acts of arson and violence.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the US government will send federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops to maintain law and order in Kenosha and elsewhere Wisconsin as needed.