Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (23) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Member of the Los Angeles Lakers, from left, Tyson Chandler, Lance Stephenson, LeBron James and Moritz Wagner wear t-shirts with the word ‘enough” in memory of the 12 victims killed in Wednesday night’s shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, center, is defended by Atlanta Hawks’ Vince Carter, left, and Trae Young during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won, 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young (11) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers’ Josh Hart (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Brandon Ingram (14), LeBron James, second from left, Tyson Chandler (5) and Kyle Kuzma celebrate after a 107-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks during an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (23) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Hawks’ Alex Len (25) drives past Los Angeles Lakers’ JaVale McGee during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James wears a t-shirt for the 12 victims of Wednesday night’s shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Lonzo Ball, center, grabs a rebound next to Atlanta Hawks’ Omari Spellman, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, left, and Josh Hart wear t-shirts bearing the names of the 12 victims of Wednesday night’s shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, center, wears a t-shirt bearing the names of the 12 people killed in Wednesday night’s shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Member of the Los Angeles Lakers, from left, Tyson Chandler, Lance Stephenson, LeBron James and Moritz Wagner wear t-shirts with the word ‘enough” in memory of the 12 victims killed in Wednesday night’s shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Hawks’ Miles Plumlee (18) works for a rebound against Los Angeles Lakers’ Tyson Chandler (5), Lonzo Ball (2) and Kyle Kuzma (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Tyson Chandler (5) celebrates after a 107-106 over the Atlanta Hawks during an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Tyson Chandler (5) blocks a layup attempt from Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, center, as time in the game expired during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles won 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma, left, shoots over Atlanta Hawks’ Vince Carter during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma (0) dribble down court against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Tyson Chandler (5) works for a loose ball against Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Tyson Chandler, right, celebrates with teammate LeBron James after Chandler blocked a shot from Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young as time expired in the NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles won 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Hawks’ Vince Carter (15) dunks next to Los Angeles Lakers’ Josh Hart (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Hawks’ Alex Len, right, dunks over Los Angeles Lakers’ JaVale McGee (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won, 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, center, is defended by Atlanta Hawks’ Vince Carter, left, and Trae Young during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won, 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, center, loses his footing as he dribbles next to Los Angeles Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won, 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Tyson Chandler, right, celebrates with teammate LeBron James after Chandler blocked a shot from Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young as time expired in the NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles won 107-106. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
LOS ANGELES – The Lakers wore white, and the Hawks wore red. But before they tipped off on Sunday night, both teams wore black shirts, emblazoned with the same word on the front.
“ENOUGH.”
While that visual was striking, there was also power to the words on the back in a dozen neat lines: the names of the 12 victims in the Borderland Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks.
It was the second straight night at Staples Center that both teams wore the same warm-up shirt, intended to show solidarity with victims of the Thousand Oaks shooting and express frustration with mass shootings across the country. The Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks wore them before their game on Saturday, with a slightly different design but the same concept.
The shooting took place on Wednesday, not long after the Lakers wrapped up a home win over Minnesota. LeBron James said when he heard about the shooting, which occurred during a college night promotion at the bar, he was particularly troubled by the idea that gun violence has crept into formerly safe spaces around the country.
“It’s just how can you be comfortable with sending your kids to school or sending them to church or sending them to the movies or sending them to the mall?,” he said. “Those are kind of like the great havens when I was growing up: school, church, go to the mall, go to a sporting event. That was like heaven. You know? And it’s kind of scary at this point and time.”
Lebron James talks about what he thought when he first heard about the Thousand Oaks shooting and reflects on how formerly safe spaces no longer feel safe. pic.twitter.com/GhGO4hKVMU
James said he was pleased that NBA commissioner Adam Silver (who was in attendance Sunday night) had allowed NBA teams to wear the shirts before games. In general, Silver has taken a more open approach to allowing players to voice their opinion on social and political issues.
James in particular has taken advantage of the pulpit, using his voice to speak out on gun violence on Sunday night as he has several times before.
“It all comes back to this gun situation that we have in America and gun violence,” James said. “I don’t definitely want to go into that right now but I can do it at a later point. We know that these people are just being able to go and buy guns and do things with them and innocent lives are being taken at young ages.”
Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said he felt the message behind the shirts was meant to be unifying.
“It’s unfortunate. It’s sad,” he said. “We can talk about gun control, you can talk about how to deal with everything that’s going on, but I think really, the shirt is just trying to solidify that there’s a presence in the NBA that’s thoughtful about the people that lost their lives, and the people that were present there, and just the community in Southern California, what everybody’s going through and trying to deal with this.”
The “ENOUGH” shirts worn by the Clippers on Saturday were available on the team website for sale, with all proceeds going to families of the victims of the shootings. It was not clear as of Sunday night whether the Lakers shirts would be commercially available.
Coach Luke Walton has publicly stated his concern about gun violence in media sessions after not just the Thousand Oaks shooting, but a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last month. He hoped that the shirts would represent some small source of refuge for people who look up to NBA players.
“I think when you have kids and you’re concerned about where our world is going sometimes,” he said, “it’s nice to see people trying to stand up and bring awareness to things and not just let it slide into yesterday’s news.”
Beasley attends to family matter
For the second time this season, forward Michael Beasley left the Lakers to attend to a family health matter, according to team officials.
Beasley missed four games previously due to the same circumstances, which team officials didn’t specify out of respect for Beasley’s privacy. While Beasley left the team during a road trip in Minnesota in the last instance, on Sunday night, there was an even more abrupt tone: Beasley went through his regular pregame warm-up on the court and was seen in the locker room by reporters an hour before tip-off in his normal routine.
Between his absences and tenuous status in the playing rotation, Beasley hasn’t seen much court time: He’s appeared in just three games for a total of 10 minutes.
Honoring veterans
The Lakers hosted Sgt. Josiah Long of the Army to team shootaround on Sunday and gave him a customized jersey with his name on it for Veteran’s Day. The team also game away Lakers hats with purple and gray digital camouflage as a promotion.
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