Celtics, Heat release statement on decision to play Wednesday's game after riots at Capitol Building in D.C.

The Heat and Celtics explained what motivated their decision to play on Wednedsay

The past several days have been tumultuous across the entire nation. On Tuesday, it was revealed that the Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer that shot Jacob Blake will not face criminal charges, and then on Wednesday, violent protestors stormed the Capitol in Washington D.C. to contest the results of November's presidential election. 

For a league as socially conscious as the NBA, such developments are obviously disturbing. For a moment, it even appeared as if the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat might decide not to play their scheduled game Wednesday night in response to what is happening elsewhere in the nation. The two sides ultimately decided to do so, though, releasing the following statement. 

"2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed. We play tonight's game with a heavy heart after yesterday's decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on. The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today's protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.

We have decided to play tonight's game to try to bring joy into people's lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal & just America."

Just as teams did in the Orlando bubble, players knelt for the national anthem as a form of silent activism. 

Heat and Celtics players kneel for anthem. pic.twitter.com/2QrAtszPaT

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) January 7, 2021

The Milwaukee Bucks started a league-wide strike in Orlando after Blake was shot in August, but play ultimately resumed after a few days thanks in part to encouragement from former President Barack Obama. While the players were able to use the leverage of the strike to convince teams to use arenas as voting sites in November's election, the events of the past several days are proof that the nation has not yet come close to overcoming the issues that led to that work stoppage. Players will continue to use their platforms to fight for social change, but on Wednesday, they decided that playing was their best course of action.