When you do stuff that ruffles feathers and is outside the norm, you got to know there is going to be some backlash with it. I prepared myself that summer for me probably not being there. People thought I was probably crazy for thinking that. But I’m human. It is what it is. We’ve seen that many times.
We saw Colin Kaepernick [kneel] for what he believed and they tried to destroy his life. I was going to accept that with open arms if I wasn’t going to be able to go play for Milwaukee again. No disrespect to them. They did what they thought was right for the organization.
—George Hill
That’s George Hill discussing his departure from the Milwaukee Bucks with Marc Spears of The Undefeated. Reached by TrueHoop about Hill’s comment, the Bucks had no comment.
Remember, Hill (along with Sterling Brown) held the microphone when the Bucks touched off a strike that shut down the NBA—and several other leagues—for three days in August. That bold leadership in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake convinced Sports Illustrated to name the Bucks the team of the year.
But even before that award, Brown and Hill had been moved to other teams, and Hill can’t say for sure his leadership on social justice issues wasn’t part of the reason.
Subscribe now to read the most recent subscribers-only TrueHoop post, where we dig through the confusing signals around a team that plays in Wisconsin, a flashpoint of the nation’s racial turmoil.
Southeast Wisconsin is where the Back the Badge movement began, where Jacob Blake was shot, where Donald Trump rushed to encourage division when tensions were most high. It’s where Sterling Brown was tased by police, sued the Milwaukee Police Department, and then had to play in a game where the game ball was presented by the head of the Milwaukee Police Association.
Both of the Bucks’ billionaire investors have raised money from public pension funds, including police pensions.
Among NBA teams, the Bucks have made some of the most meaningful statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They supported striking players, have worked with social justice non-profits, and made a meaningful visit to a correctional facility. They are one of very few NBA teams that hosted a Black Lives Matter rally.
“We’ve been processing the Wisconsin situation now for 58 years. That’s how old I am. And it just keeps happening over and over again.”