Malcolm Brogdon: Some Guys Considering Sitting Out

Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon has revealed that several players are considering sitting out the NBA restart in Orlando.

After suspending it’s season on March 11, the NBA has implemented a plan to resume it’s season under pandemic conditions.

Twenty-two of the NBA’s 30 teams will resume the regular season at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. After which, the playoffs will commence in the quarantined facility.

If the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t complicated enough, Malcolm Brogdon says that political forces are also influencing players. 

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“I’ve talked to a few guys that are super interested in sitting out possibly,” Malcolm Brogdon said.

“At the end of the day, I was actually talking to Chris Paul the other day and he said, ‘Man, this is an individual decision that every man has to make for himself.’ I think that’s exactly what it is. I think it depends on your perspective.”

In a politically outspoken league like the NBA, the murder of George Floyd will resonate. According to Brogdon, certain players won’t want to distract from the Black Lives Matter movement by participating in the resumed season. 

“Some guys are going to say, ‘For health reasons, and COVID, and the long-term effects that we don’t understand about COVID, I want to sit out,’” Brogdon said. 

“Other guys are going to say, ‘The black community and my people are going through too much for me to basically be distracted with basketball. I’m not going to prioritize this over the black community, I’m going to sit out.’ And then there’s another group of guys … who are going to say, ‘No, this is the most amount of money I’m going to make in my lifetime. It doesn’t make sense to hand this money back. I can do so much good in my community if I have this money.’

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“I think it’s a matter of perspective. I think guys are gathering to really talk about and dive deep into the idea of not playing.“

However, as Brodgon outlines, the potential of a player to speak to people will increase if they play in Orlando.

“My thing is if you’re going to sit out, you have to have demands,” he continued.

“You have to have policies that you want to see changed. There has to be something very organized and strategized to go into that … The attention on you and your platform actually grows the farther you stay in Orlando. So that’s definitely a perspective I want guys to think about and understand before they make a decision.”