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NBA players meet Pope Francis to discuss social justice issues

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Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/11/24/pope.jpg"/><figcaption>Pope Francis meets a delegation of five NBA players, including Jonathan Isaac and Sterling Brown and officials from the National Basketball Players Association at the Vatican November 23, 2020. <em>Vatican Media/Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Five NBA players met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday to discuss social justice issues following a season where combating racial inequality was a dominant theme.</p><p>The players who met the Pope were Anthony Tolliver, Kyle Korver, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac and Marco Belinelli as well as National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) executive director Michele Roberts.</p><p>&quot;Today&#x27;s meeting was an incredible experience,&quot; Tolliver, who plays power forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, was quoted as saying in an <a href="https://nbpa.com/news/nbpa-delegation-meets-with-pope-francis">NBPA news release</a>.</p><p>&quot;With the Pope&#x27;s support and blessing, we are excited to head into this next season reinvigorated to keep pushing for change and bringing our communities together.&quot;</p><p>Video of the meeting showed the players presenting the Pope with gifts including an Orlando Magic jersey.</p><p>Roberts said the meeting validated the power of the players&#x27; voices.</p><p>&quot;That one of the most influential leaders in the world sought to have a conversation with them demonstrates the influence of their platforms,&quot; said Roberts.</p><p>&quot;I remain inspired by our players&#x27; continued commitment to serve and support our community.&quot;</p><p>The league and its players ramped up their calls for system-wide reforms last season after the death in May of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis in an incident that was captured on video.</p><p>The COVID-19 interrupted season resumed inside a bio-secure bubble in Florida with players wearing social justice messages on their jerseys and &quot;Black Lives Matter&quot; printed on the basketball courts.</p><p>The new NBA regular season is scheduled to kick off on Dec. 22. </p><div><strong>(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Ken Ferris)</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DVLy7vP9W6U?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Five NBA players met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday to discuss social justice issues following a season where combating racial inequality was a dominant theme.</p>

Five NBA players met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday to discuss social justice issues following a season where combating racial inequality was a dominant theme.