Like teammate Kyrie Irving, Garrett Temple is a vice-president of the NBPA, the players union, and as such, Temple has said he believes the NBA’s return-to-play can be a vehicle for enhancing players’ social justice goals.
Some have reported that Irving had his doubts about the return, suggesting a boycott might have been a better way to point up inequities in American society, including the police brutality the led to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25. .
“I think we utilize the situation being in the bubble as a way to continue to push it because there are going to be so many eyes watching these basketball games,” Temple told a Nets media Zoom call, noting that while he and Irving might have had their differences, they agreed on the ultimate goal.