National Basketball Association

NBA Players Boycott Playoff Games

Updated Aug. 26, 2020 7:35 p.m. ET

The NBA announced Wednesday's Game 5 playoff matchups have officially been postponed following a player boycott.

The impacted series include Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers. The league said it plans to reschedule the games.

Below is a running timeline of the day's events:

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Game 5 of the series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic was postponed after Bucks players made the pregame decision to boycott the game.

Tip off for the game was scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, but Bucks players didn't come out for warmups. Magic players did, but then returned to their locker room.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the decision was made following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Bucks guard George Hill confirmed the report to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:

NBA TV's Jim Jackson, who was scheduled to call the game between the Bucks and Magic, reacted to the boycott courtside.

"That's the biggest statement that these young men can make. ... It's much bigger than the game of basketball."

Emmanuel Acho weighed in on the decision and what could come next on Wednesday's Speak for Yourself.

Earlier, Bucks players and coach Mike Budenholzer addressed Blake shooting, with Hill stating, "Until the world gets their s⁠--t together, I guess we're not going to get our stuff together."

Athletes from across sports voiced their support for the boycott and expressed their frustration with ongoing incidences of police brutality.

(Note: Many of the following tweets contain strong language.)

Shortly after the Bucks and Magic didn't take the floor, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly planned to boycott Game 5 of their series, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers followed suit.

The NBA then officially announced the day's games would be postponed and rescheduled.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday evening, the Bucks issued a statement explaining their decision and encouraging everyone to vote:

"When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement."

This is a developing story.