MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Bucks star and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, joined some of his teammates during a march protesting racial injustice on June 6 in Milwaukee.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of police last month in Minneapolis has sparked nationwide protests for police reform.

Antetokounmpo with his Bucks teammates Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Brook Lopez, Frank Mason II, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis' brother, “joined local activist Frank Nitty as protesters marched down 27th Street,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS) reported, adding that “the group wore identical gray T-shirts with the slogan ‘I can't breathe’ printed on the front. All the players wore masks and gloves due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

HAPPENING NOW: On Day 9 of racial injustice protests in Milwaukee, the @Bucks join in.@Giannis_An34, @Divincenzo & Sterling Brown among the Bucks players joining this protest headed north on 27th past Clybourn. Their shirts read “I can’t breathe” @fox6nowpic.twitter.com/VeDnhqI2dG

— Sam Kraemer (@SamKraemerTV) June 6, 2020

Giannis grew up in Greece, a child of Nigerian immigrants, selling tchotchkes on the street. Before coming to MKE, he and his family were targets of racism.

Now, he’s paving the way for justice at protests in MKE, where he wants his child to grow up. pic.twitter.com/xBZTSwIMZV

— Zach Rosen (@ZacharySRosen) June 7, 2020

The Bucks players joined the march as itcrossed the 27th Street Bridge over Interstate 94, MJS reported, adding that “they arrived in U-Haul vans and handed out beverages and snacks.”

Also present were Giannis' girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesprigger, and their young son, Liam, MJS reported.

“This is our city, man… We got to come out here and support,” Antetokounmpo said, to the appreciation of the crowd, MJS reported.

“We want change, we want justice, and that's why we're out here. That’s what we're going to do today. That's why I'm going to march with you. I want my kid to grow up here in Milwaukee, and not to be scared to walk in the streets. I don't want my kid to have hate in his heart,” Antetokounmpo said, MJS reported.

According to MJS, “Brown’s participation in the march is particularly poignant. In January 2018, a group of Milwaukee Police Department officers took Brown to the ground, tased and arrested him after a parking violation at a Walgreens, prompting an internal investigation that ended with several officers suspended and others retrained. Brown was not charged in the incident. Brown has filed a lawsuit against the city. He rejected a $400,000 settlement offer.”

On June 5, the plan to restart the NBA season, halted due to the coronavirus in early March, was approved by the NBA players, MSJ reported. The Bucks should be back in action along with the rest of the NBA in late July at Disney World in Orlando.

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