Wednesday's scheduled Game 5 of the NBA Playoff Series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic was called off, as the Bucks decided to boycott the game.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news, simply tweeting that the Milwaukee Bucks were boycotting Game 5.
Shams Charania reported for The Athletic that the Orlando Magic had wanted to play, but returned to their locker rooms.
The boycott is in response to a police officer shooting Jacob Blake in Kenosha earlier in the week, which spurred deadly protests in Wisconsin since the incident.
Coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters before the game that "everything was on the table" in regards to how the team would respond to the situation in the Bucks' home state. The team's own social media accounts didn't tip the news, listing its starting lineup a half hour before the decision was made public.
Wojnarowski reported that the Bucks decided to not leave the locker room ahead of their playoff match-up.
Charania reported that the Bucks stayed in the locker room in an attempt to reach Wisconsin's Attorney General, Josh Kaul.
Within an hour after the Bucks' boycott, Charania then broke the news that the Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City playoff game was going to be boycotted by players as well. The nightcap, Lakers vs. Blazers, was also boycotted by players.
In a statement on social media, Bucks SVP Alex Lasry posted that "Some things are bigger than basketball... enough is enough. Change needs to happen." Lasry posted that he supported the decision by the players.
The NBA announced later Wednesday that all three games would be postponed and made up at a later date, meaning no forfeits for any of the six teams involved..
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