Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler made a statement about equality before Saturday’s game, and then the referees intervened.
Butler stepped onto the court wearing a jersey without a name on the back. Then, he was forced to change to one with a name plate before the game could start.
Marc Stein of the New York Times provided some necessary context to all this. He noted that Butler had wanted to have no name on the back of his jersey to express equality, but that the NBA would not allow it.
Even though he had to make the switch, Butler was still able to make a statement by defying the league for a brief time. Many players have opted to share messages of social equality and other meaningful phrases. Butler’s idea was a bit different but shared the same sentiment.