The National Basketball Association is anticipating that upcoming games may be delayed depending on the verdict rendered by the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial, Yahoo! Sports reports.
Teams were told that a game or two may be postponed after the verdict is read by the jury. Prosecutors and defense attorneys gave their closing arguments on Monday, April 19, 2021, according to CNN. The jury will be sequestered during the entire jury deliberation process for an indefinite period of time.
Former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin will soon know if he will be found guilty of second- and third-degree murder charges and second-degree manslaughter, or if he will be exonerated of all charges. He and three other officers were terminated almost immediately after Chauvin knelt on George Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds, despite Floyd pleading a reported 27 times that he couldn’t breathe.
Floyd’s death became the national flashpoint in 2020 that incited major uprisings in most major American cities over the cause of justice and police brutality.
Celebrities, including those in the NBA, joined the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and demanded the league address matters in a very visible and viable way. This included such things as painting “Black Lives Matter” on the side of the court and allowing players to kneel during the national anthem.
The recent shooting deaths of Daunte Wright in suburban Minneapolis and 13-year-old Adam Toledo, have only exacerbated the racial tensions brewing in the Twin City region.
In light of the circumstances, ESPN reports the NBA told teams to be prepared for “a night or two” of postponed games and to “to be vigilant about the impact of a potential verdict.”
