Steph Curry, Trae Young among NBA players celebrating league's long-awaited return

The NBA made its return on Thursday (Friday IST) with a doubleheader as Los Angeles Lakers took on LA Clippers, while Utah Jazz faced the New Orleans Pelicans. Only 22 teams were invited to the bubble to compete in seeding games before the league started their postseason in August. As the games had been suspended since March 11, stars congratulated and celebrated the league's return on social media. 

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Trae Young, Steph Curry and others celebrate NBA restart on Twitter

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While Boston Celtics' Enes Kanter is competing at the bubble, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young belong to teams who are out of the running. Curry tweeted saying he loves all of his NBA brothers, while Young penned a string of tweets regarding the restart. He wrote that while he wishes they were hooping, he's glad the league is back and called it the 'best league in the world'. Maurice Harkless referred to the restart as 'Christmas' and added that he will be watching and pretending to be happy for everyone else. 

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The NBA was suspended on March 11, after Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19. Incidentally, Gobert also scored the first points of the NBA restart. The league remained suspended for months and made its return at the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida despite various health concerns. The Lakers and Jazz won their first games back at the bubble, and players, as well as coaches, and some officials, locked hands before the games to show their support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

The league has been vocal about supporting the BLM movement and raising awareness through their massive platform. Young, Curry and Kanter are among various NBA players who have spoken out against systemic racism, even attending protests organised to demand justice for George Floyd's murder. The NBA has Black Lives Matter written on the Disney courts, while players can opt for various messages and slogans to have on their jerseys instead of their last names. 

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(Image source: AP)