Just hours before Saturday’s first preseason game, Knicks players weren’t tipping their hands on whether they will stand, kneel or remain in the locker room during the national anthem.
The Knicks don’t play until Tuesday, when they take on the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. But at practice Saturday, neither Joakim Noah nor Lance Thomas would say they will for certain stand — despite an NBA rule mandating they do so.
Whatever does happen will be a show of team unity, said Thomas.
“Whatever we do, we’re gonna do it as a team,” the forward said. “I’m gonna speak to my teammates and see what we come up with.”
Asked about his anthem plans, Noah took a shot at Trump for “dividing people.”
“Obviously it’s a very confusing time in this country and as athletes, we have platforms,” said the $72 million center.
“The NBA is a big platform, so I understand where the NBA is coming from,” added Noah, a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year while with the Bulls, in response to a league memo Friday that stated teams must stand during the anthem.
Last year, the Knicks had locked arms, but this year the stakes are even higher, he said.
“For some reason I feel like things are a little different,” Noah said. “I don’t know why. I feel like there’s more emphasis on it. Shout out to [Colin] Kaepernick for that.”
In time for the first two games of the preseason, the NBA has issued a memo recommending teams address fans or show videos expressing themes of unity before their first home games, while reminding them of the rule that players must stand for the national anthem.
In the memo sent Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum suggested teams use their opening games “to demonstrate your commitment to the NBA’s core values of equality, diversity, inclusion and serve as a unifying force in the community.”
He recommended an address by a player or coach to fans before the anthem, or a video featuring players or community leaders speaking about important issues and showing photos from past community events.
In the first pre-season games Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors will host the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves.