Pope Francis receives a delegation of NBA players (and no one wears masks)

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) ensured that all guests had been tested prior to the match.

Pope Francis, 83, received a delegation of NBA players along with representatives of the union that brings them together. The meeting took place in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, according to a statement released Monday by the union.

The visit was developed in light of the struggle for social justice and racial equality advocated by NBA players.

Despite the fact that the second wave of coronavirus is red-hot in Europe, none of the participants in the meeting wore a mask.

In this context, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) made it clear that players and union members had been tested for covid-19, in accordance with Vatican protocols.

The delegation included Sterling Brown and Kyle Korver, both of the Milwaukee Bucks; Anthony Tolliver of the Memphis Grizzlies; Jonathan Isaac of Orlando Magic and Marco Belinelli of San Antonio Spurs. Each of them “has been active in pursuing various initiatives for social justice,” notes the NBPA note.

“The match confirms the strength of the voices of our players,” said Michele Roberts, executive director of the NBPA, stressing the importance of the social commitment undertaken by the players of the famous American league.

The NBA was recently at the forefront of its support for the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In addition, players boycotted a few games after the murder of Jacob Blake, shot in the back by the police. For his part, President Donald Trump was quick to taunt the NBA’s low popularity ratings due to its politicization.

“I know their ‘ranking’ has been very low, because I think people are a little tired of the NBA […] They have become a political organization and this is not good, “condemned the president amid boycotts of the NBA in late August.