The Brooklyn Nets' 2017-18 season home opener at the Barclay's Center kicked off in protest on Friday night, October 20, when Roc Nation borough native Justine Skye completed her rendition of the National Anthem by taking a knee.
Reactions to Skye's demonstration were mixed from those spread about the 18,103 seat arena, with both cheers and boos registering once the music stopped. Skye would later take to social media to share the emotional state she was in as she locked in to take a stand in solidarity with those across the sporting world who've been calling for the public and officials to confront inequality and injustice.
"Got a bit shaky at the end.. was pretty uneasy about singing the anthem and probably won’t ever be invited to sing it again but I had to take a knee for the opening game in my city and let my voice be heard. We will not be silenced," Skye wrote in the caption of an Instagram post that she finished off with a Black Lives Matter hashtag.
While executives, coaches, and owners in the NBA have proven to be more tolerant about players expressing themselves on political issues, while in uniform, league commissioner Adam Silver more recently took charge to inform players that it will enforce its policy that all players stand during the Star Spangled Banner. After Skye's performance, a spokesperson for the league issued a statement that claimed the league's front office was"not aware that she was going to do so."
