Notable figures from across the sports world continue to speak out on the Alex Pretti shooting … with several NBA superstars condemning what happened in Minnesota over the weekend.
Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton, and Karl-Anthony Towns – as well as the NBA Players Association as a whole — have let their thoughts be known in the aftermath of a pair of U.S. citizens being shot by officers.
“I don’t know the whole situation of the people that got murdered, but I do know this is BS,” Mitchell told reporters after Cleveland’s win over Orlando on Monday. “It’s BS. That’s just been my standpoint on it.”
“I pray for the families that are affected by it, I pray for everybody’s that affected by it, and I pray we figure this out because it’s getting out of hand. It’s something that we need to just figure out. And hopefully we do soon because it’s just become the norm. It’s nuts. It’s insane. That can’t be who we are as a country, as a people.”
Haliburton was more direct with his comment on X.
Towns, who starred in Minnesota before being traded to the New York Knicks, called for accountability.
Jaylen Brown, a Celtics star who is president of the NBA PA, said guys may feel different about each situation — but as a collective, they have come to a form of understanding.
“Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of the fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent,” the NBA PA statement read, in part. “Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.”
NBA legend Charles Barkley offered his take Saturday on ESPN.
“It’s scary. It’s sad,” Barkley said. “It’s gonna end bad — it’s already ended badly twice. Somebody’s got to step up and be adults because, man, two people have died for no reason and it’s just sad.”
WNBA star Breanna Stewart held a sign that read “Abolish ICE” during player introductions on Sunday before an Unrivaled league game.
In Minnesota, before Sunday’s Timberwolves game at Target Center, a moment of silence was held to honor the life and memory of Pretti … and members of the crowd started shouting expletives directed toward ICE.
There have been other reactions from folks outside of basketball as well … including a couple of Minnesota Twins players, Olympians, former NFL players and more.
