Play for Justice brings together NBA teams
February 14, 2020
Last weekend, the NBA's Sacramento Kings, in partnership with The Milwaukee Bucks, hosted the second installment of 'Team Up for Change.' The summit addresses social injustice and community challenges through exploring the intersection of sports, race and the pursuit of more equitable communities.
“After a hugely impactful event last year in Sacramento, we’re proud to continue our efforts with the Kings to raise awareness and formulate solutions to our community’s challenges,” said Bucks Co-Owner, Marc Lasry. “We believe that the only way to solve these critical issues is by partaking in candid dialogue with the goal of inspiring real action and positive change.”
The criminal justice activations started from the REPRESENT JUSTICE campaign and its Play for Justice initiative, which seeks to uplift narratives of hope and redemption, in order to break down stigmas associated with individuals who are impacted by the criminal justice system. The campaign tipped off with a series of basketball games at correctional facilities across the country between incarcerated individuals, NBA players and coaches. The first games took place December 2019 with the Kings and Bucks, and 2020 participating NBA and WNBA teams are to be announced.
“There is immense potential to connect people with different life experiences and backgrounds through the collaboration of sport. Play for Justice is one hopeful step in the process of restoring dignity and mercy to the people in our criminal justice system,” said Scott Budnick, founder and CEO of One Community and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC).
The Kings hosted a basketball game at the Folsom State Prison and The Bucks hosted one at Racine Correctional Institution, where members of the coaching staff suited up to play with incarcerated individuals, with the team players serving as honorary coaches. Prior to the game, players, coaches and executives from the teams and the REPRESENT JUSTICE campaign sat down for an hour-long facilitated conversation with current incarcerated individuals.
“Our organization strongly believes in engaging in community-building conversations to shed light on tough subjects such as criminal justice reform,” said Bucks and Fiserv Forum President, Peter Feigin. “We are proud to participate in the Play for Justice initiative to give incarcerated individuals the platform to communicate their experiences, as well as to create hope for a positive future.”
“Sports franchises have a unique opportunity to bring about positive change, which is why in the past year, the Kings and the Bucks brought together leaders from across two cities to share best practices and find new solutions to social injustices. This collaboration with REPRESENT JUSTICE is another example of how we can use our platforms for good,” said Vivek Ranadivé, Chairman, CEO and Governor of the Sacramento Kings.
The games are part of the Campaign’s efforts to engage audiences and spark collective action to demand a fair legal system, dignity for system-impacted communities and an end to extreme sentencing.