Norm Powell knew what he wanted his Raptors jersey to say, but it deviated from the list of NBA-approved messages on the issue of racial discrimination, social injustice and police brutality.
He decided on “Black Lives Matter,” a significant statement. The Raptors forward is disappointed he couldn’t decide for himself. He wanted true freedom of expression and never got it.
“The quote that I wanted to put on the back of my jersey was ‘Am I Next?’,” Powell said during a teleconference with reporters Thursday.
That was not among the 29 messages sanctioned by the league, which is allowing players to replace the names on their jerseys when the season resumes later this month.