Published 14:50 IST, August 27th 2020
Doc Rivers slammed by former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani over comments on Jacob Blake shooting
LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers drew backlash from former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani following his emotional speech about the Jacob Blake shooting.
On Tuesday, LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers made a poignant statement on Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old African-American who was shot seven times by the police in Wisconsin over the weekend. However, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has hit back at the comments made by Doc Rivers in his emotional speech, saying that the 58-year-old is 'misleading' African-Americans. Rudy Giuliani was particularly upset with Rivers' claim of Americans not reciprocating love for the African-American community.
Jacob Blake shooting: Rudy Guiliani hits back at Clippers coach Doc Rivers
While speaking to Fox News Radio on Wednesday, it was apparent that former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani took serious issue with Doc Rivers' speech following the Jacob Blake shooting. The 76-year-old said: "Doc Rivers is misleading the African-American community because of the con job the Democrats have played on them for 60 years." Rudy Giuliani then hammered the Clippers coach for his comment about the country not showing love for African-Americans.
ALSO READ: LeBron James, Other NBA Players Firm With Call To Boycott Playoffs For Black Lives Matter
A furious Giuliani put forward a few controversial statements and facts, "Some comments from Doc were total b******. The danger of getting shot by a cop is one-tenth of a per cent while the danger of being shot and killed by an African-American is 99 per cent." He then claimed, "So for every 8 or 10 people that are shot by cops every year, 7,000 are killed by other African-American men. I have the right to speak about these facts because I had the facts when I was Mayor of NYC." He continued, "Why are there so many cops in African-American communities in comparison to white neighbourhoods? It's not because we don't like them but it's because they are trying to protect innocent victims that are, in turn, being killed by the African-Americans".
Doc Rivers speech after Jacob Blake shooting
Following the tragic shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday, Doc Rivers hammered speakers at the Republican National Convention for speaking about "fear" on the first day of the event, while African-Americans live in actual fear of policing in the US. As the 58-year-old choked up, he said: "I just want to focus on myself as a coach but I'm constantly reminded of being an African-American citizen due to these unfortunate shootings. It's just sad, we must try and do better." On Wednesday, the league took the decision to have the NBA playoffs postponed after it was confirmed that the Milwaukee Bucks decided not to take the floor for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic. The Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers games that were scheduled to take place on Wednesday were also postponed with Game 5 of each series to be rescheduled.
Image Credits - AP
Updated 14:50 IST, August 27th 2020