Blazers and Lakers will boycott Game 5 following Jacob Blake shooting

Following the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic earlier today, the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to sit out their Game 5 match-up following the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Reported earlier today by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a meeting took place in the minutes leading up to the decision.

The Lakers have a team meeting soon to discuss the possbility of boycotting Game 5 tonight against Portland, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020

The boycott was later confirmed by NBA Insider Shams Charania.

The Lakers and Trail Blazers are sitting Game 5 of series, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

All three NBA games will not be played as players sit in wake of Jacob Blake shooting.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2020

The Bucks and Magic did not take to the court ahead of their scheduled game, which saw the time-to-tip-off hit zero in an empty arena.

Following the decision by the Bucks, the boycott train continued to include the Lakers and Blazers game, the NBA and NBPA decided to postpone all playoff matches set to take place on Wednesday night.

#BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/Yn1vF0G6en

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 26, 2020

According to reports, the Raptors and Celtics met last night to discuss the potential of boycotting Game 1 of their head-to-head series, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Raptors players Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell were visibly shaken by what happened and spoke openly about considering a boycott.

“I was pretty excited [about the series] and then we all had to watch Jacob Blake get shot,” said VanVleet. “That kind of changes the tone of things and puts things in perspective.”

An unarmed Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Blake was shot seven times by police in front of his three sons and has been left paralyzed.

With files from Rob Williams