One of the biggest news stories outside of Basketball this summer is the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Stemming from multiple events in which Police use excessive force, primarily to those of the African-American decent, those who partake in Black Lives Matter rallies are hoping to make their mark that their importance to society isn’t any lesser than anyone of another decent. Much of society feels as through the African-American population is being mistreated, including several famous athletes who have already voiced their concerns.
Among them, six-time NBA Champion Michael Jordan, who rarely ever takes part in discussing issues outside of Basketball.
Just days after Jordan released a statement, another former Basketball player by the name of Allen Iverson has spoken out. Iverson, one of the most influential African-American athletes in the history of the league, has his own take on the situation (via Andrew Porter of CBSPhilly).
“I’ve been watching TV, I’ve been seeing a lot of this stuff going on and it’s truly sad,” Iverson told the 94WIP Josh Innes Show. “It’s sad for just the regular citizens out here in the world and it’s sad for the police officers as well. Because they got a tough job, every day night in and night out. They’re here to protect us. Not every cop is a bad cop and we gonna definitely need them to progress in society. So, I just think hopefully everything just gets better. Hopefully we’ve seen the worst of it and it will just get better and better.
“It’s important if my voice matters,” he continued. “If my voice don’t matter, it doesn’t mean anything. The only thing that I want to put out there is all positivity. I know all black lives matter, all lives matter. It’s just important for us to take care of each other too. It’s just not the problem with the law enforcement, it’s us in society getting along with each other as well. This is a great lesson for all of us and the most important thing in this whole matter is just us moving forward. The most important thing is not going backwards, as long as we go forward and progress then we’ll be alright.”
Iverson certainly has a strong take on these social issues. He now joins LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, and several other Basketball players to speak out against the issue.
