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The WNBA, which plans to begin its 2020 season
in late July amid the COVID-19 outbreak, added that players
would wear warm-up shirts displaying the 'Black Lives Matter'
logo on the front and 'Say Her Name' on the back throughout the
campaign.
The announcement comes in the wake of weeks of protests sparked
by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died
under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
"We are incredibly proud of WNBA players who continue to lead
with their inspiring voices and effective actions in the
league's dedicated fight against systemic racism and violence,"
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
"Systemic change can't happen overnight, but it is our shared
responsibility to do everything we can to raise awareness and
promote the justice we hope to see in society."
The WNBA was classed as a leader among professional leagues in
terms of racial and gender hiring practices in a report by the
Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) in 2019.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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