Jerami Grant was one of the few Nuggets players who decided against wearing a message on the back of his jersey in support of racial equality when the NBA season resumes.
He said he felt those messages were largely symbolic, and he’d rather impact change through his actions. Those began, at least publicly, Wednesday when he dedicated his news conference to the memory of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by Louisville police in March. Taylor, an emergency room technician, was killed after police executed a no-knock warrant and entered an apartment they had mistakenly targeted.
The Denver Post asked Grant about recreational activities he and his teammates were doing in their down time in Orlando. Grant responded by steering the conversation toward Taylor’s story.
“I think it’s great to be here with my teammates,” Grant began. “It’s great to be back playing basketball. For me personally, and I think a lot of the players, I think it’s imperative that we focus on what’s really important in the world. One thing, for me, is Breonna Taylor’s killers still are roaming around free. I think I just want to focus on that with these interviews.”
A few more questions were asked, and each received a similar answer. Grant intended to use his platform to call for the arrest of the three police officers involved. One was fired in June.
Asked about teammate Nikola Jokic, who cleared quarantine Tuesday and was slowly reintegrated into practice Wednesday, and Grant again ceded the floor.
“Like I said, it’s great to have my teammates here, it’s great to be here playing basketball, but at the same time, I want to keep the focus on what’s really important,” Grant said. “Breonna Taylor’s murderers still are roaming around free.”
In early June, Grant, two of his brothers, his step-sister, his sister-in-law and his niece all took part in the peaceful protests outside of the White House. Grant said it was moving to “be able to experience history.
“To be able to see people come together, for our culture, it was just amazing,” he said.
But Grant, as his decision not to wear one of the many messages offered to players illuminated, is more concerned about actions. He said his foundation has been making an impact “behind the scenes.”
When told of Grant’s decision to turn the focus of his news conference on Taylor, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he fully supported and respected it.
Malone has been outspoken on the need to address systemic racism and police brutality ever since George Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Malone said he and his coaching staff have had Zoom calls with local organizations like My Brother’s Keeper and I Am a Voter to facilitate actionable change in Denver.
“For Jerami to dedicate his press conference to the memory of the life of Breonna Taylor is outstanding, so I applaud him for that,” Malone said.
Even in the Orlando bubble, with the focus slowly starting to shift back to basketball, Malone said he would continue having substantive conversations, either in individual settings or in smaller groups, with his players. The focus, Malone said, was to educate himself as well as his team.
“Times have been this way for a long time,” Grant said. “Basketball is something that I love, it’s something that everybody here loves, but at the same time, we gotta focus on what’s important.”
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