BREAKING: Milwaukee Bucks Players Stage Strike, Sit Out NBA Playoff Game to Protest Jacob Blake’s Shooting

Players on the Milwaukee Bucks refused to leave the locker room before Game 5 of their NBA playoff series against the Orlando Magic in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in nearby Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The pre-game countdown clock hit 0:00 on Wednesday afternoon the Bucks team had still not taken the court. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the the team has decided to boycott the game — and risk forfeiture — to make a political statement about the shooting captured in a shocking viral video last week. The Bucks currently lead the Magic three games to one in their best-of-7 Eastern Conference playoff.

The Bucks players made this decision in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin, ultimately deciding that they wouldn’t leave the locker room for the start of Game 5 against Orlando. https://t.co/COJ6E0aJLj

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020

Blake was reportedly breaking up a fight near his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin when police arrived on the scene. In the short , sound-free video that has exploded on social media, one police officer can be seen pulling on Blake’s shirt from behind as he walks around the front of his car and then opens the door — his three school-age children already inside. Then suddenly, the officer fires seven times at point blank range into Blake’s back. Blake reportedly remains in serious condition in a nearby hospital but is suffering from paralysis from the waist down due the gunshot injuries to his spine.

Watch the video above, via NBATV.