Houston Rockets: Chandler, Rivers won’t wear social justice messages on jerseys

The Houston Rockets’ Tyson Chandler and Austin Rivers planned to honor slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin on the backs of their jerseys but were not permitted to do so by the NBA.

Houston Rockets teammates Tyson Chandler and Austin Rivers will both wear their own names on the back of their NBA jerseys after the name they chose was not one of the 29 approved slogans.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, both players discussed their original plan to honor slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin with his name on the back of their jerseys.  Martin was a 17-year-old African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida by George Zimmerman in 2012.

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“I’m going to stick with my name,” Chandler said. “What I was thinking about doing was wearing Trayvon Martin’s name because I thought that would be a powerful statement. I  felt like it would remind people that we don’t know what this young man’s future could have been.

“And I felt like, with his name on the back of a jersey, it would remind people of lives that are cut short and we never know what those lives could have become,” Tyson continued. “I thought it would have been a nice gesture to wear it out on the court and for his family to remind people.

“But that wasn’t one of the ones  (we could use) so I’ll keep my name on the back.”

As part of its commitment to continuing its support around social and racial justice – which became a focal point around the world this summer after the death of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer – the NBPA approved 29 slogans that players could choose from to wear on the back of their jerseys during the NBA restart in Orlando.

Some players chose from the list, whose messages included Equality, I Am A Man, How Many More? and Black Lives Matter, while others including LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis have chosen to wear their own names but will still support social justice issues.

Chandler’s Houston Rockets teammate, Austin Rivers, will also wear his name on the back of his jersey for the same reason.

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“I wasn’t able to put Trayvon so I’m using my name. I do like some of the messages that they have. I like that some of the players are using that, but I wanted to go a different route,” said Rivers.

“I  wanted to…personally for me, being from  Orlando and Trayvon being from right outside  Orlando… that kind of resonated with me and my city and where I’m from. No matter where I  go or where I play, I always represent  Orlando Florida.

“So I wanted that but they’re not  letting  it happen so if that’s the case, I’ll wear Rivers.”

Chandler said he has plans to keep the conversation on racial and social justice going and take action.

“For the long run, I’d like to get with lawmakers. I think that’s where we could have a big impact. A  lot of the laws need to be changed, that way we can govern them correctly,” he said.

“I love the momentum. I love the movement and everything that everyone is standing for,” he continued. “I would love to get with some lawmakers here in the near future. That is my plan.”