49ers

Dale F. Halton Arena

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Aly Khalifa scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, Montre&rsquo; Gipson made three 3-pointer in the second half, and No. 3 seed Charlotte held off No. 8 seed Eastern Kentucky 71-68 on Wednesday night in the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational.
Charlotte (22-14) finished the season with its most wins since the 2000-01 campaign, when it took down Tennessee in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers were appearing in the postseason for the first time since earning an at-large bid to the 2013 NIT.
Charlotte made eight of its first nine shots and led 18-5 as Eastern Kentucky only made two field goals in the opening eight minutes. Khalifa made all six of his shots in the first half to help the 49ers build a 42-24 lead at halftime after shooting 72% (18 of 25) from the field. EKU had five scoring droughts of at least 90 seconds in the first half.
It was the fourth time in the tournament the Colonels trailed at halftime &mdash; before rattling off three straight overtime wins to reach the title game.
Cooper Robb, who played at Charlotte from 2018-20, made two 3-pointers during EKU&rsquo;s 12-5 run to open the second half. But Charlotte kept its double-digit lead until the 8:44 mark when EKU scored 13 unanswered points.
Robb made a steal and raced the other way for a long 3-pointer to get EKU within 69-68 with 47.4 seconds left. Isaiah Folkes answered with a layup, off a nice pass by Gipson, for a three-point lead with 16 seconds left. After a timeout, Robb had a 3-point attempt blocked by Brice Williams and Tayshawn Comer had another attempt for EKU but it came up short.
Williams, averaging a team-high 14 points per game, finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocks for Charlotte. Gipson added 13 points, Lu&rsquo;Cye Patterson had 11 and Folkes scored 10.
Robb made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Eastern Kentucky (23-14), which had the third-most wins in program history. Michael Moreno added 14 points and Devontae Blanton, averaging a team-high 17.4 points, was scoreless in the first half and did not play after halftime.
Isaiah Cozart was held to 10 points and four rebounds after securing a double-double in Eastern Kentucky&rsquo;s opening three tournament games. Cozart set a career-highs for points (20) and rebounds (17) in the opener, and he scored a career-best 31 points in the semifinals.
The CBI trophy remains in the state of North Carolina after UNC Wilmington defeated Middle Tennessee last season.

Charlotte (22-14) finished the season with its most wins since the 2000-01 campaign.

Charlotte wins CBI title, holds off Eastern Kentucky 71-68

LeBron James is on the verge of eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring mark of 38,387 career points. At his current 29.3 point-per-game season average, James is nine games away from breaking a record that, for a long time, seemed close to untouchable.
James' transcendant greatness forces us to reevaluate what constitutes an "unbreakable" record. So what are some other examples across sports?
Starting with other basketball records, Abdul-Jabbar still boasts the NBA's all-time mark for made field goals with 15,837. James, despite his historic scoring, currently sits a whopping 1,882 made baskets behind Abdul-Jabbar. Even the Father Time doubters can't expect James to get there before he retires.
The career rebounding leaders are Wilt Chamberlain (23,924) and Bill Russell (21,620). No other player has ever reached 18,000 boards. Barring a drastic change to the game, it's safe to say those two marks will stand the test of time. Chamberlain's 100-point game, along with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-what-are-the-most-unbreakable-individual-records-in-nba-history-lebron-james-wilt-chamberlain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several other single-game and season-highs</a>, also seem untouchable.
Pete Maravich holds the NCAA record for most career points (3,667); he averaged over 40 points per game and set the bar in just three seasons. Antoine Davis of Detroit-Mercy is currently second and giving his best shot, but even at 3,274 points, he's well behind as he nears the end of a five-year college career.
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And Pistol Pete doesn't even come close to Pearl Moore, who holds the women's college all-time scoring mark with 4,061 career points &mdash; the vast majority coming during her time at Francis Marion University between 1976 and 1979. Here's why <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/pearl-moore-didnt-need-a-3-point-line-to-dominate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moore isn't shown on NCAA leaderboards.</a>
Lastly, while Abdul-Jabbar (and soon James) rest atop the NBA's scoring list, we simply cannot forget about Oscar Schmidt. The Brazilian legend is believed to be the leading basketball scorer of all-time across professional competition with a whopping 49,737 points. Go learn about Schmidt if you haven't yet.
Now let's switch gears and highlight other sports.
Even after the NFL's 21st-century passing surge, no receiver has come within 5,000 yards of Jerry Rice's 22,895-yard total. The San Fancisco 49ers legend holds several league records, but this one in particular feels unreachable.
Cal Ripken Jr.'s games-played streak (2,632 games) is one of Major League Baseball's most iconic records, spanning over 16 seasons. Modern sports science knows the value of rest during a long baseball season, so this record&nbsp;should&nbsp;stay forever. Another streak built to last: Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941.
On the other side of the plate, Nolan Ryan's 5,714 strikeouts dwarf any other pitcher and lead second-place Randy Johnson by 900 K's. Cy Young's whopping 749 complete games, like Ripken's appearance streak, is also immortalized with help from today's game. Young's dominance at the turn of the 20th century came at a time when pitchers breezed through complete games. That won't happen anymore &mdash; the active leader is Adam Wainwright with just 28.
Any hockey record associated with Wayne Gretzky is probably unbreakable &mdash; as Shoresy says, "Don't nickel-and-dime the Great One!" &mdash; but his hallowed 2,857 career points might be the most outrageous career tally in all of sports. Gretzky would still&nbsp;be the all-time points leader even if he never scored a goal thanks to his 1,963 assists. However, like with LeBron, the hockey world is on watch for Alex Ovechkin to overtake Gretzky's 894 career goals. Ovechkin, age 37, is 84 goals away.
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Motorsports can add an unbreakable record of its own. Richard Petty, driver of the famed No. 43, has 200 NASCAR wins to his credit, which is nearly double any other driver (David Pearson has 105). He dominated in an era during the 1960s and 1970s with uneven parity and a jam-packed schedule, so it's also illogical to think we'll see someone match his 10 consecutive victories in 1967.
Soccer has existed for so long and in so many places that all sorts of renowned records are scattered across the world. But two legends continue to be on top. Pele's 92 hat tricks are by far the most by a male player; Christiano Ronaldo is a distant second with 60.&nbsp;
Canadian legend Christine Sinclair has the most recorded international goals in soccer history by any man or woman. She surpassed the United States' Abby Wambach in 2020 and is still charging ahead, with 190 to her current total across over 20 years of international competition.
Michael Phelps is the most dominant Olympic athlete ever. His 28 gold medals are the most by any athlete by far &mdash; including 23 golds, the only person to ever eclipse double-digit gold medals. Additionally, Simone Biles' 19 world gold medals, including the Olympics and other competitions, more than double the next-closest gymnast.&nbsp;
Finally, we reach several records that seem impossible to break, unless the same record-setting athlete tops themselves. Katie Ledecky is the picture of pushing limits in the pool, setting so many fastest times that a tweet like this feels like the fairest way to sum up her stardom:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
15:37.99?!?<a href="https://twitter.com/katieledecky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katieledecky</a> just clocked the 14th-fastest swim in HISTORY, and now owns 18 of the top-20 times ever recorded in the event 😲<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TYRProSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TYRProSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/v8VO3VVrbt">pic.twitter.com/v8VO3VVrbt</a>
&mdash; USA Swimming (@USASwimming) <a href="https://twitter.com/USASwimming/status/1614416917984595969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
And you can debate the validity of the sport all you want, but what Joey Chestnut has done in the world of competitive eating feels inhuman. He holds 55 records involving 55 food disciplines, including the 76 hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes during the 2021 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. He has not relinquished the hot-dog-eating crown since 2007.
Will LeBron James' final point tally reign like these records? It's too early to say, but by holding the honor, the King joins some of the pillars of American and international sports.

Ethan Fuller looks at some of the most untouchable records in sports, including marks held by Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Rice.

What are the most unbreakable individual records in sports history?

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The broad-shouldered Ish Wainright looks as if he should be making plays in the NFL instead of the NBA.
For a while, that was the dream.
But Wainright's athletic career is back on the basketball court these days, and he used his surprising skill set to help the short-handed Phoenix Suns win their second straight game by beating the Indiana Pacers 112-107 on Saturday night.
&ldquo;Obviously, you need talent in this league,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;But playing hard, with talent, it's a great combination.&rdquo;
Josh Okogie led the Suns with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Mikal Bridges added 22 points, but it was a couple clutch plays from Wainright during the final possessions iced it.
The muscular 6-foot-5, 235-pound forward nailed a corner 3 with 1:10 left to push the Suns up by 107-101 and then added a nifty assist on a pass to Jock Landale for an easy basket &mdash; two stellar possessions that kept that feisty Pacers fighting from behind.
Indiana had a chance to tie on its final possession, but Buddy Hield missed a rushed 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Pacers lost despite a triple-double from T.J. McConnell, who had 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Phoenix and its ragtag roster took an 87-83 lead into the fourth quarter. The Suns were once again missing a big chunk of their staring lineup, including the All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Starting center Deandre Ayton was out with a non-COVID-19 illness.
But the Suns are still playing hard and treading water in the Western Conference.
&ldquo;We're holding it down and just building trust,&rdquo; Wainright said of playing without the team's stars. &ldquo;They're trusting us, so when they get back, we'll trust them.&rdquo;
Both the Suns and Pacers struggled to score in the fourth quarter.
The Suns pushed to a 102-94 lead with 2:49 left but the Pacers scored four points on one possession when Phoenix's Saben Lee was called for a flagrant foul after elbowing Hield in the face. Hield hit both free throws and Bennedict Mathurin made a layup after the Pacers retained possession because of the flagrant foul.
The Pacers eventually pulled to 104-101 but Wainright's corner 3 swung the momentum back in the Suns' favor.
The Suns won despite shooting 41.8% from the field. The Pacers shot just 37.5%.
Indiana was without its leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, who missed his sixth straight game. The Pacers have lost seven straight.
&ldquo;Getting the next win is going to be challenging,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;That is how it is in his league.&rdquo;
The Suns had a 59-57 lead at halftime. Bridges led the Suns with 14 points while Bismack Biyombo had 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Mathurin &mdash; who played at Arizona in college &mdash; scored 12 points for the Pacers and finished with a team-high 23.
WAINRIGHT'S JOURNEY
Wainright played four seasons of basketball at Baylor before switching to football, where he was a tight end for one season for the Bears.
He played well enough on the football field that he earned a tryout with the NFL's Buffalo Bills in 2018, but didn't make the final roster. Then it was back to basketball, and he played in Europe for a couple years before signing a two-way contract with the Suns in 2021.
He didn't play much at first, but has slowly earned a bigger role.
&ldquo;It's player development,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;But it's also the player committing to the development. You can come in the gym, jack up shots and collect a check, or you can be intentional about it.&rdquo;
MCCONNELL'S TRIPLE DOUBLE
McConnell had the third triple-double of his NBA career, grabbing a 10th rebound late in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;Rebounding is kind of one of those things as a guard, if you are not blocking out, you have to guess where the ball is going,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;Try to chase long rebounds and they kind of came to me tonight. I wasn&rsquo;t hunting for them they kind of landed in my hands.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Haliburton was wearing the jersey of San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy while sitting on the bench. Haliburton and Purdy both played in college at Iowa State.
Suns: Paul, Booker, Ayton, F Cam Johnson, G Cam Payne and G Landry Shamet were all out. ... Honored the 1992-93 Suns team that won the Western Conference championship. They lost to the Bulls in the NBA Finals in six games. Several players were in attendance, including 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley, who was MVP that season. ... Hosted their 49th straight sellout crowd.
&nbsp;

Josh Okogie put up 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns beat the Indiana Pacers 112-107.

Okogie, Bridges lead short-handed Suns past Pacers 112-107

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) &mdash; When freshman point guard Talana Lepolo went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury, Stanford had to adjust in a hurry against a top conference opponent.
Indya Nivar, another reliable freshman, took over running the offense and the Cardinal&rsquo;s veteran post players did the rest.
Cameron Brink had 25 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots, Haley Jones added 25 points, 12 boards and a pair of blocks, and No. 4 Stanford bounced back from a loss at USC by beating eighth-ranked Utah 74-62 on Friday night.
&ldquo;Every disappointment is a blessing,&rdquo; Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer said of seeing Nivar steady the team.
Hannah Jump made her first five shots and scored 13 points. Nivar had four points and three assists in 27 minutes.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always hard seeing a teammate go down,&rdquo; Nivar said. &ldquo;For me this whole season (it&rsquo;s) just staying ready.&rdquo;
Stanford (18-2, 6-1 Pac-12) earned its 18th straight home win against conference opponents. The Cardinal dropped two spots in this week&rsquo;s AP Top 25 poll after a 55-46 loss at USC on Sunday that snapped a 12-game winning streak, a 39-game unbeaten run against conference foes and a 51-game winning stretch facing unranked teams.
&ldquo;I think our team had something to prove to ourselves and what better opportunity than against a team like Utah,&rdquo; VanDerveer said. &ldquo;We have a lot of teams in the Pac-12 that are tournament teams and they&rsquo;re a tournament team.&rdquo;
Alissa Pili scored 25 points and Gianna Kneepkens had 19 for Utah (15-2, 5-2), which had previously lost at Colorado on Jan. 6. Utah shot 3 for 13 from deep in the first half to fall behind 41-32.
Former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 draft pick in 2005 out of Utah, was at Maples Pavilion cheering on the Utes.
The Utes have never beaten a top-five opponent and had been scoring 86.8 points per game &mdash; among the best in the nation &mdash; but managed just 10 in the second quarter and 12 over the final 10 minutes.
Stanford hasn&rsquo;t allowed more than 77 points in a game since the end of the 2019-20 season, with its only other loss so far this season a 76-71 overtime defeat to No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 20.
&ldquo;Until people knock off Stanford they&rsquo;re still at the top and we&rsquo;re all chasing them,&rdquo; Utah coach Lynne Roberts said.
The Utes jumped ahead 10-2 and 12-5 before Stanford&rsquo;s 7-0 run over a 1:15 spurt.
Stanford&rsquo;s players wore No. 3 emblems on their &ldquo;Human Athlete&rdquo; warmup shirts in support of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who is recovering after he went into cardiac arrest on the field in a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.
&ldquo;It was something that was really special to our team that I think is important just to cross all athletes worldwide just to show that somebody like Damar Hamlin at this instant it&rsquo;s more than playing your sport &mdash; it&rsquo;s your health, it&rsquo;s your mental well-being, it&rsquo;s everything,&rdquo; Jones said.
LEPOLO HURT
Lepolo fell midway through the first quarter and was able to walk off the court on her own but didn&rsquo;t play again. She returned to the bench late in the period without a shoe on her left foot and a big ice bag on the ankle, then was in a walking boot after halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Utah: The Utes moved up two spots in this week&rsquo;s poll to match the highest ranking in program history and their 10 straight weeks in the poll are their most ever. Utah had been 2-0 against ranked opponents, the team&rsquo;s first time beating multiple ranked teams in the same season since 2005-06. ... The Utes have scored 64 or fewer points in all but two meetings with Stanford since 2007. ... They shot 5 of 26 on 3s.
Stanford: Junior G Agnes Emma-Nnopu moved into the starting lineup in place of Kiki Iriafen. ... Brink reached 66 blocks for the season and she has swatted at least one shot in every game. She had 88 as a freshman and 91 last season. ... Stanford leads the all-time series vs. Utah 31-1 including the last eight in the series all by double digits. The Cardinal have scored at least 68 points in every matchup since 2016. ... Stanford is 11-1 at home.
UP NEXT
Utah: At California on Sunday night.
Stanford: Hosts Colorado on Sunday to continue a four-game homestand.

Cameron Brink had 25 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots, and  Haley Jones added 25 points, 12 boards and a pair of blocks.

Brink, Jones lead No. 4 Stanford women past No. 8 Utah 74-62

The Milwaukee Bucks recently decided to boycott Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake, 29, was shot seven times by police in Kenosha, WI. 
This comes exactly four years after Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem for the first time prior to a 49ers-Packers preseason game, showing just how much has changed in that span.
The NBA postponed all of Wednesday&rsquo;s games and players met to discuss whether they should finish the postseason in the bubble. Ultimately, the players decided to resume the playoffs, with the NBA and NBPA <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-nbpa-social-justice-coalition-executive-director-michele-roberts-voting-elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coming together</a> to create a social-reform coalition, turn many NBA arenas into voting locations and run ads during the playoff games that promote greater civic engagement.
Blake&rsquo;s attorney, Benjamin Crump, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CESTQkYD4Xc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted a picture</a> of Blake with his three sons (who were in the car when he was shot) on his Instagram page and wrote: &ldquo;This is Jacob Blake. He is 29 years old and a devoted father. Kenosha, WI police shot him several times in the back tonight after he was breaking up a fight between two women. His THREE SONS were in the car he was getting into when they shot him!! His sons will be traumatized forever. As a father myself, I am horrified and disgusted. We cannot let this continue! We cannot let officers violate their duty to PROTECT us. Our children deserve better!!&ldquo;
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James discussed this incident following a Game 4 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
&ldquo;So you&rsquo;re telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him before the firing of guns? You&rsquo;re lying to every African-American, every Black person in the community,&rdquo; James <a href="https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=29735258" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "If you watch the video, there were multiple moments where - if they wanted to - they could&rsquo;ve tackled him, they could&rsquo;ve grabbed him, they could&rsquo;ve done that. So why did it have to get to a point where we see the guns firing? His family is there. The kids are there. It&rsquo;s in broad daylight. 
"And if that video is not being taken by that person across the street, do we know if we even see that video? &hellip; We are scared as Black people in America. Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified.&rdquo;
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul also addressed this during his post-game interview following a Game 4 victory over the Houston Rockets.
&ldquo;I just want to send my prayers out to Jacob Blake and his family,&rdquo; Paul <a href="https://twitter.com/complexsports/status/1298030906024906753?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We said we were going to continue to speak on the social injustice and the things that continue to happen to our people. It&rsquo;s not right.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Miraculously, Jacob somehow survived and is in stable condition, according to a statement from the family. However, make no mistake, the police (who are now on paid administrative leave) did not intend for him to leave there alive. Their aim was to kill him - right in front of his 3-year-old, 5-year-old and 8-year-old sons.
&ldquo;Nobody&rsquo;s more devastated than his three sons,&rdquo; Crump <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2020/08/24/jacob-blake-stable-condition-after-shooting-kenosha-police-shot-7-times/3431519001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</a>. &ldquo;You can only imagine the psychological problems these babies are going to have for the rest of their lives."
"As we fight for justice and understanding, our family has and will face many trials during this time," the Blake family wrote on their <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/justiceforjacobblake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe page</a>. "Jacob Blake is a loving father of six that deserves proper medical attention and legal representation."
Why is the family and their attorney repeatedly stating that Jacob is a loving father of six and a good person? Because each and every time a Black man or Black woman is killed by the police, they are demonized and their name is dragged through the mud. This happened with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Terence Crutcher, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Akai Gurley, Stephon Clark, Andrew Kearse and countless others. The media floods the airways with justifications of why the person was shot by the police and how it was somehow their fault.
A Black man shouldn&rsquo;t have to be perfect or a college graduate or a husband or a father in order to explain why he didn&rsquo;t deserve to be shot seven times in the back by police, but I digress.&nbsp;
This is exactly why NBA players have been kneeling during the national anthem. It&rsquo;s why they have been wearing messages on the backs of their jerseys. It&rsquo;s why they have collectively let their voices be heard during this entire NBA bubble restart, despite the barrage of criticism and vitriol they have received. It&rsquo;s why there were questions about whether the players should go to the bubble at all.
Donald Trump <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/08/11/donald-trump-nba-players-very-dumb-kneeling-during-anthem/3343737001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> NBA players &ldquo;very nasty and very dumb&rdquo; for taking a knee during the national anthem.
Conservative political pundit Charlie Kirk <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1288975274709671936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>: &ldquo;Hilarious to see Black NBA players who make millions a year take a knee to try and tell us black people can&rsquo;t succeed in America. Kick them out of the league. Done watching the NBA.&rdquo;
Former NFL player, head coach and current commentator Mike Ditka <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2020/07/26/mike-ditka-x-league-national-anthem-protests-womens-football/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told TMZ Sports</a>: "If you can't respect our national anthem, get the hell out of the country. That's the way I feel. Of course, I'm old fashioned. So, I'm only going to say what I feel.&rdquo;
How is it possible that so many people still don&rsquo;t understand that this has nothing to do with the flag or veterans? Or are they simply dedicated to purposely misrepresenting and redirecting the issue?&nbsp;
Michael Vick spent more time in prison for killing dogs than just about every police officer who has killed an unarmed Black person over the past three decades, so it should be crystal clear what the issue is.
Joakim Noah recently <a href="https://www.fli.tv/joakim-noah-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared on my show, The Rematch</a>, and explained why he chose to put &ldquo;Justice&rdquo; on the back of his NBA jersey while in the bubble.
&ldquo;Because everyone deserves justice. Everybody does,&rdquo; Noah said. &ldquo;And the truth is that right now, and for a long time, there are a lot of people who don&rsquo;t [receive justice]. I wanted to use that because everyone deserves human rights. All of my heroes have been fighting for justice. Some have died for justice... And I hope that a lot of these people who have died - when you think of [George] Floyd and Breonna Taylor - I really hope that they can get their justice.&rdquo;
Joakim almost got emotional while saying these words. This isn&rsquo;t just a trendy thing to support, as some have suggested; this means something to Noah and these players. It&rsquo;s important for NBA players to take stances like this and verbalize to the media why this matters to them. We&rsquo;ve heard Noah, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Jerami Grant, Tobias Harris, Sterling Brown, C.J. McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, Marcus Smart, Kyle Kuzma and so many others discuss this. We&rsquo;ve heard from coaches such as Doc Rivers and Alvin Gentry. It should be crystal clear what the issue is at this point.&nbsp;
What the NBA and WNBA have done this season can&rsquo;t be overlooked: This is one of the largest collective athlete-activist movements since the 1960s. This movement has pushed entire industries to reckon with their racist history and institute programs and initiatives that weren&rsquo;t previously there.&nbsp;
For example: The NBA <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29602899/nba-establishes-fund-support-empowerment-black-community" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently announced</a> that &ldquo;all 30 NBA teams will contribute a combined $300 million over the next decade to fund the NBA Foundation, a new charitable initiative dedicated to greater economic empowerment in the Black community.&rdquo;
NBA Coaches For Racial Justice was <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/how-lloyd-pierce-is-leading-nba-coaches-in-the-fight-for-racial-justice/OSCCWK4DEZHODL6W2C3P3MIDWE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">established by</a> Lloyd Pierce and now every coach in the NBA is working with grassroots organizations in their respective cities.
Former head coach and current analyst Stan Van Gundy explained the kneeling for those who still seem to be confused on the meaning and importance of the players&rsquo; stance.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If you love something, you want it to be better,&rdquo; Van Gundy said <a href="https://www.fli.tv/stan-van-gundy-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on my show, The Rematch</a>. &ldquo;As a parent, you&rsquo;re going to love your kid no matter what. But you&rsquo;re not going to just let them do whatever they want to do and not say anything or do anything - because if you really love your kids, you want them to be the best that they can be. And when they&rsquo;re not doing that, you want to try to correct their course. That&rsquo;s what the players are doing. They&rsquo;re not saying, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t want to live here,&rsquo; or, &lsquo;I hate America.&rsquo; They&rsquo;re saying, &lsquo;I want it to be the best that it can be.&rsquo;&rdquo;
NBA players took a respectful stand - not against police, but against police brutality. And they did it together, as an entire league. Coaches, referees, staff, white players, foreign players - everyone taking a stand together while utilizing the media to bring further attention to specific cases of police brutality and calling for police accountability (such as justice for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd).&nbsp;
With the horrifying shooting of Jacob Blake and the fact that none of the police officers had body cams - although Kenosha technically requires them for all of their officers - some players feel that kneeling isn&rsquo;t enough anymore. And as was the case with George Floyd, if it weren&rsquo;t for a civilian&lsquo;s recording, the &ldquo;facts&rdquo; from the police report almost certainly wouldn&rsquo;t have resulted in any officer being held accountable.&nbsp;
It is more than evident that we still have a long way to go.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/justiceforjacobblake?utm_source=customer&amp;utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&amp;utm_medium=copy_link_all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is the official GoFundMe created for Jacob Blake and his family. They need our support.</a>

The Jacob Blake shooting is exactly why NBA players have been kneeling and fighting social injustice, writes Etan Thomas.

Charlotte 49ers