The Portland Trail Blazers have released a video on behalf of players, coaches, and their organization, affirming that Black Lives Matter, condemning racism and brutality, and offering solidarity with victims by saying, “It Could Have Been Me”. The video comes on Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States
The 2:10 presentation gives a compact, powerful statement. Multiple members of the organization appear, some familiar, some from behind the scenes. They affirm that any of them could have been in the shoes of those harmed by systemic, racial violence. They talk about their sons and daughters, their homes, how no part of their lives remains untouched.