NBA postpones playoffs after Milwaukee Bucks lead shooting boycott

The Milwaukee Bucks staged a dramatic boycott of the NBA playoffs on Wednesday, forcing the league to delay three games following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in the team's home state of Wisconsin.

"The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks' decision not to take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today's three games – Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers – have been postponed," the NBA said in a statement. "Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled."

"Some things are bigger than basketball," Bucks senior vice president Alex Lasry said via Twitter. "The stand taken today by the players and org shows that we're fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen. I'm incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change."

NBA superstar LeBron James expressed solidarity with the decision in a tweet shortly after the Bucks boycott. "WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT," James wrote.

The Orlando Magic threw their support behind the league's decision. "Today we stand united with the NBA Office, the National Basketball Players Association, the Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the league condemning bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police against people of color," the Orlando Magic said in a statement.

Later on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers also refused to play their Major League Baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds.

(CGTN)