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Updated May 26th, 2021 at 11:13 IST

George Floyd death anniversary: How the NBA world reacted a year after Floyd was killed

George Floyd death anniversary: Following the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, the NBA world continues its protest against systematic racism.

Reported by: Arnold Dsouza
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On the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, the NBA and its Social Justice Coalition are urging are the United States Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd's death sparked outrage from the NBA community and sports stars around the globe. Here is more on the NBA George Floyd death anniversary reactions -

NBA George Floyd death anniversary: Why was George Floyd killed? 

Floyd, an African-American man, was killed by former police officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest after a store clerk suspected he may have used a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis. To millions around the world, the final minutes of Floyd’s life reflected decades of police brutality against Afro-American citizens and it unleashed months of protests worldwide against systemic racism. As a result, there remains no explanation as to why was George Floyd killed apart from hatred. The NBA social justice coalition released a statement on Monday, urging for the US Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The call to action is stated to honour the memory of Floyd and “others who have been victims of police brutality.” Members of the coalition include Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, Houston Rockets guards Avery Bradley and Sterling Brown, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Several NBA players also took to social media and urged the United States Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds and "qualified immunity" for law enforcement while creating national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March with bipartisan support and is now pending in the Senate.

Other groups of professional athletes joined the NBA players' coalition on Tuesday with calls pushing for passage of the legislation. The WNBPA said in a statement that it remains "hopeful that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is the important first step for comprehensive policing reform at the federal level."

Where is Derek Chauvin now? 

Last month, Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He faces up to 10 years in prison for second-degree murder, 25 years for third-degree murder and 10 years for manslaughter and will be sentenced on June 25. Such is the impact of the case even after a year that Derek Chauvin now queries have been given more importance than latest NBA scores, even though the playoffs are happening at present.

Image Credits - AP

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Published May 26th, 2021 at 11:13 IST

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