Rumors

James Edwards III: Casey said the team watched the John Lewis movie together, have talked about social issues. Team does shooting at night following training. The "second" part of the day is more individual work.

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Inside the Nuggets’ team meal room in the Orlando bubble, team officials had banners made depicting all 17 players that have now made it safely to the NBA’s re-start. Outside of it, in a public space where opposing teams walk on their way to practice, the Nuggets projected a much different message. The team created two separate banners that illustrate the social justice messages the organization has been amplifying for more than a month. One celebrates former congressman John Lewis, the late civil rights icon who spent his life fighting for equal voting rights.

Denver Post

The other banner reads “Don’t shut up and dribble,” and features 11 black-and-white photos taken from protests that Nuggets players participated in. Veterans Gary Harris and Jerami Grant both contributed to the collection. “I think it speaks volumes when you walk by our food room and you don’t necessarily see world championship banners,” Malone said. “You see banners reflecting the current mood across our country, which is terrific.”

Denver Post

Brad Stevens: In 1965, this passed with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. John Lewis's Voting Rights Advancement Act was written to reinforce this and eliminate any barriers or obstacles to vote. Voter suppression is real and unjust. The senate needs to honor John, and simply do what's right

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“This movement has grown in such a way where frankly, it’s irresistible,” Alicia Garza, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, said in a telephone interview. She added that seeing those words on NBA courts, in Major League Baseball stadiums and on T-shirts worn by athletes near and far, including those in European soccer leagues, “blows me away. It’s incredibly amazing. “I think that this moment reflects the ongoing organizing and activism of people who have been toiling for so long in the shadows,” she said. “This movement is not new. The fight for racial equality. The fight for human rights and civil rights is as old as the history of enslavement in this country, and every generation – as John Lewis would say – is responsible for carrying that torch forward to make sure that we achieve the goal of making Black Lives Matter in our democracy, in our economy and in our society. I think what this moment represents is a real reckoning.”

The Athletic

Tania Ganguli: Doc Rivers calls the Jazz/Pelicans pregame display “powerful” and “awesome” and says “on a day like today, on a day John Lewis was laid to rest, I thought it was meaningful.”

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Harrison Faigen: Frank Vogel, wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt, begins his presser by remembering John Lewis, who he called "an American hero."

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As he began his media availability Thursday, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins opened by calling the late Rep. John Lewis an icon and a hero. With the NBA resuming its season Thursday night in Florida, Jenkins didn't want it to overshadow the legacy of Lewis, who died this month from pancreatic cancer. So for two minutes, he read a statement from Lewis on the importance of protecting the right to vote.

Memphis Commercial Appeal

"The Brennan Center released a report that shows that voting law changes across the nation will make it significantly harder for more than 5 million voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote. This should not be happening," Jenkins read. "Today, we should be making it easy, simple and convenient to vote. Instead, legislators around the nation are creating barriers and making it more difficult for citizens to vote. There's not just one law, but many types of laws that are disenfranchising millions of voters."

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Gina Mizell: Monty shared quotes from John Lewis' letter w/players before practice: "His phrase 'good' trouble' is something that I think will stick with us for a long, long time. He's a guy that inspires me to stand up for things when I see that they're not right and do something about it"

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“I think we’ve all bought in,” Malone said. “Obviously we’re basketball coaches, we’re basketball players. We get paid to do that. That’s our livelihood. But we also have off-court interests. We all want to be active participants in what’s going on. As I’ve said many times, I do not want to be sitting on the sideline during this movement. I want to help. I want to educate myself, help our players educate themselves, so we can approach this the best way possible. … Us starting off practice today talking about the life and legacy of a guy like John Lewis, to make sure it’s not just about, ‘Hey, our pick-and-roll defense; our offensive execution.’ That is important as we get closer to playing games. But I know we are dedicated as an organization to make sure we’re doing as much as we can to continue to keep that education and that light where it needs to be. … To me, I think it’s an easy balance.”

The Athletic

LeBron James: Powerful!!! Hope everyone reads this today. Rest In Peace John Lewis. We all must work to honor your legacy. 🙏🏾✊🏾👑 nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opi…

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Jonathan Feigen: Mike D'Antoni wearing a t-shirt with the message "Good Trouble. Necessary Trouble. Vote." Said it's about the importance of voting and in tribute to John Lewis.

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Jared Weiss: Jaylen Brown recalls his favorite John Lewis quote: "The struggle is not the struggle of a week, but the struggle of a lifetime. Don’t be afraid to make noise and get in trouble, but to make good trouble."

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