Miami Heat’s Meyers Leonard chose to stand for the national anthem while the rest of his teammates took a knee on Saturday, during the team’s game against the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World.
76ers forward Al Horford’s sister, Anna, decided to voice her opinion on Leonard’s decision to stand. She went to Twitter to criticize the white Miami Heat player.
Apparently Leonard’s brother served as a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan, and he has various friends who are Navy SEALs. Despite his public support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Leonard says he couldn’t bring himself to kneel in protest.
“I absolutely believe Black Lives Matter,” he said, according to the NBA.
Nevertheless, he stood with his hand over his heart as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played just before tipoff.
“Some of the conversations I’ve had over the past three days, quite literally, have been the most difficult,” Leonard told The Associated Press before the game. “I am with the Black Lives Matter movement and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country.”
It’s an absolutely crazy time when you need to explain why you’re standing during the National Anthem.
2020 is bizarro.