According to Shawn Marion, the former NBA player, the last thing basketball players should do at the start of the 2020 season is sit on the sidelines. The former athlete claimed sitting out this season would do more harm than good, and certainly wouldn’t do much for the fight against racism.

Reportedly, other basketball players have expressed a potential unwillingness to start playing basketball again amid the Black Lives Matter movement which kicked off following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Kyrie Irving was just one star who said that players should be more focused on fighting for racial justice and equality rather than playing basketball. Moreover, Stephen Jackson, who claims he was a close friend to George Floyd, said that it wasn’t the time “to be playing basketball.”

Shawn Marion, as the title suggests, doesn’t agree with this claim. He claimed now is the best time ever to stand up for what they believe in, and use the NBA stage as a way of voicing their opinions. Marion went on to say that in order for people to express their political beliefs, they have to be on TV.

Marion believes that social media is a great way to communicate with audiences, however, TV is even bigger and better, and whatever is posted on TV, can also be put on social media as well. “So, with the season resuming, it adds to that cause,” the former player added.

Marion went on to add that players would be able to voice their opinions on the current political climate after basketball games in press conferences and in interviews. But when it comes to sitting the games out, Marion doesn’t support that.

Shawn believes that sitting out and boycotting the NBA isn’t going to accomplish much in the end. Marion says he believes the best way to make a change is through economics, which would be to bring the game back in July of this year.

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Obviously, Shawn Marion is referencing the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests that began this year following the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and others.