The WNBA Finals begin on Sunday. During the national anthem, the Los Angeles Sparks remained in the locker room while the Minnesota Lynx locked arms. Here’s what the anthem looked like on the court.
Los Angeles Sparks stay in locker room for national anthem before WNBA Finals Game 1
The Minnesota Lynx did take the court, locking arms together.
And here were the Lynx standing arm-in-arm with each other.
The Sparks came out of the locker room afterwards.
The WNBA has been at the forefront of protesting racial injustice for some time now.
Last July, four players of the Lynx held a pre-game press conference to discuss specific instances of Minnesota police violence and national racial injustice. Soon afterwards, players around the league wore T-shirts protesting racial injustice, something that the WNBA fined them for. After more protests from players, the fines were rescinded.
Other WNBA stars have knelt during the anthem and protested in other ways. Even before the most important series all year, the Sparks and the Lynx players all chose to show support for the anthem protests that are sweeping professional sports.
Dozens of NFL players knelt during the national anthem after President Donald Trump referred to Colin Kaepernick as a “son of a bitch” and stated that players who protested should be “fired.” Trump also disinvited Stephen Curry to the White House after Curry said he wouldn’t attend a traditional championship celebration in the nation’s capital. The move caused dozens of NBA players to speak out against Trump, too.
