It’s easy for players and coaches to get caught up in the competition taking place inside the NBA bubble. Celtics coach Brad Stevens, however, is making sure not to lose touch with current events taking place outside it in the real world, particularly when it comes to the upcoming general election.
Throughout his time inside the bubble, Stevens has used his platform to urge citizens to carry out their civic duty by voting this fall. He did so again during a Saturday afternoon Zoom session with the media between Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Obviously this election is really important, and it means a great deal to us,” said Stevens, whose Celtics are fresh off of a Game 5 win and now trail the Miami Heat 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. “But also, I think that it’s really important to the guys, and I think that encouraging everybody to use their voice to vote is really important.”
Stevens has not been alone on this matter. The National Basketball Coaches Association, along with the entire NBA family, has used its voice throughout the 2019-20 season restart to educate people on the significance of voting.
“I’m glad that the NBA is taking that stand,” Stevens said. “I’m glad that the Coaches Association has pushed that, and I’m happy to be a part of lending my voice to that. If that can turn out so many more people or one more person, then that’s really important.”
Kemba Walker stressed that importance a few weeks ago when he discussed with reporters how he was never educated about the voting process while growing up in New York City. He hopes that changes for the current generation of young adults, as well as for future generations.
“Where I’m from, nobody talks about voting when I’m growing up,” Walker stated. “Nobody in school, they’re not telling us to go out and vote. So I can see why a lot of young kids haven’t ever voted in their lives, because that’s not something that you speak about or hear about.”
That’s why Walker appreciates so many of his NBA peers for stepping up and providing such knowledge for the players inside the bubble, along with fans outside the bubble.
“These guys are special, special people – CP3 (Chris Paul), (Andre) Iguodala, my brother Jaylen Brown, just to name a few,” Walker said. “These guys are using their platform to a whole other level and trying to help everyone around the world to just get out there and vote. It’s a very important message, and as a league, we’re trying our best to pass that message along.”
The Celtics, as an organization, have made it a point to pass that message along, as well. Earlier this month, the team set up a page on this very website to provide citizens with the proper tools and information to navigate the voting process.
“We realize that it’s extremely important,” said Stevens. “And we continue to talk about it, to make sure each of our voices are all heard in this election.”
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