BRADENTON, Fla. — The WNBA is cancelling three scheduled games for Wednesday night, after the NBA canceled its playoff games as players decided to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The cancellations include a scheduled tip-off between the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks originally set for Wednesday night at the WNBA "bubble" location in Bradenton, Florida.
Images posted on social media showed WNBA players kneeling together in solidarity as the cancellations were announced.
The Lynx released a statement on Wednesday night supporting the players.
"The Minnesota Lynx fully support our players’ decision to postpone tonight’s games from being played. We as an organization condemn yet another senseless act committed by police, this time in Kenosha, WI against Jacob Blake, as well as every act of police brutality against black and brown communities. We stand with our players who are using their platforms to stand against racial injustices in our country and create meaningful change," the statement read.
The dramatic series of moves began when the Bucks — the NBA’s team from Wisconsin — didn’t take the floor for their playoff game against the Magic. The teams were set to begin Game 5 of their series shortly after 4 p.m., with the Bucks needing a win to advance to the second round.
Players had been discussing boycotting games in the bubble after the shooting of Blake on Sunday. More discussions among players on teams still in the bubble were scheduled Wednesday, presumably on how — or if — to go forward with the season, but even before that the Bucks apparently decided they would act.
The reverberations quickly moved into Major League Baseball and the WNBA. The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds reportedly decided not to play as scheduled Wednesday.
