NBA players join nationwide protests as marches go on in California

More NBA players, including Kobe Bryant, joined in on national demonstrations against racial profiling and police violence on Tuesday, as protests for the fourth consecutive night in California’s Bay Area led to another brief freeway shutdown.

Bryant, of the Los Angeles Lakers, and other players wore shirts during pregame warm-ups on Tuesday that read “I CAN’T BREATHE,” a reference to the final words of Eric Garner, a black man killed by a New York City police in July by way of a chokehold. A Staten Island grand jury chose not to indict white officer Daniel Pantaleo in the killing despite a clear video of the incident.

On Monday night, as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NBA players from the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets, including Lebron James and Kevin Garnett, donned “I can’t breathe” t-shirts before their game.