In just eleven days the NBA season returns and players will debut a social justice message of choice on the back of their jerseys.
Although the NBA and it’s players association (NBPA) curated a list of 29 different messages for players to choose from, Russell Westbrook has decided to use his clothing line, Honor the Gift, as an additional outlet for players to express a more cultural message.
Honor the Gift and the NBPA have partnered together to create lifestyle shirts highlighting different social justice messages that were not allowed on NBA jerseys. Those messages include:
Systemic Racism
I Can’t Breathe,
No Justice, No Peace
Police Reform
Break the Cycle
Strange Fruit
By Any Means,
Power to the People
Equality
Am I Next?
Originally the NBA proposed the social justice messages would be available for a limited time during the Orlando restart. However with a push back from players, the social justice jerseys will continue throughout the entire remainder of the season.
According to the website, Honor the Gift, was inspired by Russell Westbrook’s youth and “is a body of work with a focus on quality, purpose and storytelling.” Honor the Gift’s partnership with the NBPA aligns perfectly with the brand’s mission by providing players with a platform to be creative in their storytelling of social injustice.
The NBA season resumes in Orlando on July 31st.
