The NBA holds regular season games on Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Inauguration Day and Presidents’ Day. As of today, on Election Day, the NBA and its player leaders prefer to keep the main target of the election for the President of the United States and native government officials on the polls, not on the court.

“It was important,” New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, who can be president of the NBA Players Association, told Andscape about his absence on Election Day. “It was something that (NBBA) was talking about and I was vocal about it. It is important that we can share information with others. It’s important for us to take time off to make sure everyone goes out and votes and pays attention.”

No NBA games will probably be played on Election Day. The NBA and NBPA have partnered with civic organizations and hope today’s pause will encourage players and fans to get out, vote and take part in civic life. The NBA has joined forces with nonpartisan civic organizations to promote voter registration and academic resources through its “Get in the Game: Vote” initiative. The league participated in National Vote Early Day on October 29. Additionally, eight NBA teams (Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons) use their facilities for voting locations or ballot drop boxes.

The NBPA told Andscape it’s unsure what number of players are registered to vote. The NBA typically has around 450 players on its roster, and the season began with a record 125 international players from 40 countries. NBA players comparable to Jaylen Brown, Damian Lillard, Jeff Green, Harrison Barnes, Kyle Kuzma and Larry Nance Jr. participated in public service announcements encouraging people to vote. On October 22, your entire San Antonio Spurs roster and head coach Gregg Popovich voted together upfront.

Through the National Basketball Coaches Association, coaches made a PSA encouraging voting titled “What’s Your Problem?” NBA stars Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are also board members of When We All Vote. The NBPA Foundation, Social Change Fund and TUNL – a platform connecting sports, fashion and culture – donated $60,000 to When We All Vote to host 4 Party on the Polls events in Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin. NBA players Keita Bates-Diop, Kevon Looney, Jarred Vanderbilt and Peyton Watson also teamed up with TUNL to create “But Did You Vote?” sweatshirts and T-shirts.

“We simply feel a responsibility to share the message in regards to the importance of voting and use our platform to achieve this. All we will do is give it our all,” McCollum said.

McCollum also participated in a voting PSA titled “What Will You Choose?” with several WNBA players. McCollum also encouraged black men to vote, and the Pelicans documented McCollum’s participation in early voting and posted it on social media.

The 2016 NBA Most Improved Player said he felt confident that every one of his teammates were eligible to vote.

Several players and team staff were registered thanks to the assistance of Pelicans assistant coach Jarron Collins’ wife, Elsa, who handled registration on the training facility. Elsa Collins is the founding father of I Am a Voter, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to making a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement.

“(Collins’) wife came and made sure everyone was registered,” McCollum said. “She made sure everyone voted, even absentees, and let everyone know what to do. I did the early voting process in New Orleans. Our team followed me to deliver the message. I’m doing this to spread awareness…

“We (Pelicans players) handled it. “Everyone did what they had to do to get in line to vote depending on where they lived.”

In 2020, NBA players were inspired by systemic racism and police brutality against Black Americans to encourage voting through the coronavirus pandemic. This occurred within the wake of the brutal police deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer. NBA players also urged several teams to arrange facilities at polling places for the 2020 presidential election.

But now McCollum and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr have acknowledged that NBA players’ interest in promoting voting has waned in the present election cycle.

“There was more time to be aware,” McCollum said of 2020. “You didn’t do anything (through the pandemic), so that you see every little thing and we’re exposed to every little thing. Everyone was locked down and everybody was staying at home… The news spread quickly. Now everyone seems to be going back to work, people have their very own lives they usually aren’t necessarily as exploited as they were before. In 2020, the world stopped. Everyone paid attention.

“We put the emphasis on 2020, but we’re still doing it. Many facilities are still open (as polling places).”

Kerr said: “These things occur in spurts, in waves. For most of my sports profession, athletes didn’t express themselves politically in any respect. Four years ago, there was a extremely popular time within the country due to Covid, due to the murder of George Floyd. I feel circumstances dictate a whole lot of such a activity, whether it’s athletes or young people.

“This is the history of our country. (During) Vietnam (war) everything went up. This came right after the civil rights movement with Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), (Muhammad) Al and Jim Brown. Then there is great silence. It’s a bit like anything else, it comes and goes. I think it has to do with fatigue. At some point, people just want to get on with life and live their lives. Because of this, there is a lot of hesitancy.”

Kerr, Popovich and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers have publicly stated that they’re voting for Kamala Harris for president of the United States and consider that former President Donald Trump has divided the country. Kerr spoke on the Democratic National Convention on Harris’ behalf, while a video in support of Curry was also played there. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James condemned Trump on social media last week he explained his decision to the media and why he supports Harris. Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac also said in a social media post on April 3 that “based on the politics and ideologies of both parties, as a Christian and an American, it’s hard to want these things and vote for Kamala.”

McCollum stated he planned to vote for Harris and held a social media conversation through which he urged more African Americans to vote.

When asked why he voted for Harris, McCollum replied: “Have you seen Trump and how divisive he is? “All these things that we have seen in the past with the lack of respect for certain populations, this is an easy decision (for Harris).”

Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns added one other milestone to his basketball legacy during Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the second quarter, Durant became just the sixteenth player in league history to make 10,000 field goals.

According to , the 17-year NBA veteran and LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leader in points, are the one energetic players to hit this number.

Certified bucket lifter.

KD becomes only the sixteenth player on the team @NBA history to achieve 10,000 field goals – join LeBron James because the only energetic player to achieve this milestone 👏 pic.twitter.com/SLQIqeOlJ4

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 3, 2024

“I have achieved several milestones since I got here… I have to thank the people who have helped me since I was a kid, taught me the game, my teammates… I think about them often… grateful to have such great people in my life who have helped push me and lift my spirits when I needed it,” Durant told reporters after the Suns’ 103-97 victory.

The season is barely six games into the season, but Durant has already reached three different milestones. In addition to the latter, he became the eighth player in NBA history to attain 29,000 profession points. Additionally, Durant is currently the oldest player in NBA history to begin a season with 4 straight 25-point games.

The buzz in Washington grew stronger each week as a talented young quarterback revitalized a team that had been stagnant. He led the team’s unlikely rise to the top of the NFC East standings and, in the process, inspired something that many Washington supporters had lost: hope.

Of course, the starting quarterback of the Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels is a rising star. But long before Daniels took the nation’s capital by storm along with his signature moves and late game heroismRobert Griffin III was the talk of the town.

Like Daniels, Griffin was a Heisman Trophy winner who was chosen second overall in the NFL draft by the Washington franchise. In some ways, Griffin’s rookie season was much more magical than Daniels’ current thrill ride. With Griffin at the helm, Washington won the NFC East title in 2012-13 – the franchise’s first title in 13 seasons. He had a strong passing arm, a sprinter’s speed and a megawatt smile that endeared him to fans. In Washington, the next big thing was RG3.

However, after suffering a severe knee injury in his debut season, Griffin never repeated the success he achieved in his first yr in Washington. Today, Griffin, 34, enjoys watching Daniels from afar while reveling in Washington’s exciting recent path.

During a lengthy phone interview with Andscape on Wednesday, Griffin looked back and forward, expressing his happiness for the club and its fans.

“As far as Washington heading into the season, there is just not an analyst in the world that thinks (the Commanders) will be 6-2 without delay. Not one, right? Not based on the schedule, not based on the lineup or anything. I’ve heard some people say that one guy modified the whole lot. And whenever you say that… you have got no idea what you are talking about. In DC it is often about multiple guy. In 2012, there have been 3-6 of us at the end of the week. Then we began a seven-game streak (winning streak). We finished 10-6, won the league and made the playoffs. Everyone else knows the remainder of this story.

“But it isn’t nearly Jayden Daniels in Washington without delay. He is the one who revived the city and took it over. I’ll say this and I even have said this before: “When you win in DC, there isn’t any higher city to be in. And whenever you win in DC, the quarterback is more essential than the president of the United States.’ That’s what Jayden Daniels achieved. … But it isn’t nearly Jayden Daniels. This is Josh Harris, the recent owner. This is Adam Peters, the recent CEO. This is the recent head coach, Dan Quinn. This is the recent offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury. It’s about bringing in a vet like (tight end) Zach Ertz. It’s about bringing in a vet like (running back) Austin Ekeler.

“It’s about (running back) Brian Robinson. It’s about (wide receiver) Terry McLaurin. They have done so many things to get the fresh smell of Febreze from the top of the organization down. Peters has done an incredible job of putting his team along with guys who understand how to win. … Daniels was the most explosive passer and most explosive runner in all of school football last yr. The statistics back it up and that is why he won the Heisman Trophy. He was absolutely amazing. But whenever you take a look at his stats (NFL), he ranks (tied) twenty second in the league in passing touchdowns with seven. He is in the top five in yards per attempt (fifth, 8.4 yards per attempt). In terms of meters, he ranks twelfth in the league.

“But the way you’re feeling when he’s on the field, you’d think he led the league in touchdown passes, he led the league in passing yards and all that. That’s because Washington wins and doesn’t ask the world about Jayden Daniels. So after they need the world from Him, like during the Hail Mary, He delivers. This is an attractive recipe for success. As he grows and develops, he doesn’t try to do an excessive amount of. He doesn’t try to put the team on his back. It’s just natural for him. And that is what makes it so exciting. I’m very joyful for him.

I have already got an old head, which is sort of crazy. I do not think it’s right for old heads to take a look at the younger generation and never want them to succeed. Today you hear analysts all the time taking the approach: “Well, I was this and that.” I used to be an expert bowler. I used to be an expert. I used to be a Hall of Famer. Let me inform you why these guys stink. I do not think that is the right approach. I believe the approach is that you just take a look at the younger generation and speak about what makes them great. You tell them a story about who they’re so people can really get to know them. And in the event that they screw up, you tell them why they made a mistake and the way they’ll improve. For me, that is how you progress things forward.

“With Jayden, I approached it this way. I am honored to have the opportunity to connect with him and his family and be a mentor when he needs it. Jayden Daniels is top notch in terms of how he thinks and how intellectual and smart he is. You can see it in his game. It doesn’t force many things. He has a natural ability to carry out important actions at the right moment. So yes, I’m really happy for him. And I’m even more happy for the city.”