The Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics came together Sunday to promote a message of accountability and change in the wake of the shooting death of Stephon Clark by Sacramento police.
During warmup for Sunday’s game, players from both teams took the court in black shirts with Clark’s name on the back and “Accountability. We Are One.” on the front.
According to CBS Sacramento, Kings staffer Akachi Okugo developed the idea for the shirts and Kings guard Garrett Temple brought the plan to fruition.
Members of the Kings and Celtics also took part in a public service announcement that aired in Golden 1 Center during the game, calling for change.
On March 18, an unarmed Clark was shot dead by Sacramento police in his grandmother’s backyard. The 22-year-old was holding a cellphone that police officers said they thought was a gun. They shot at Clark 20 times in response.
Protests have taken place throughout Sacramento in the days since the shooting, including in front of the Golden 1 Center on March 23. That protest delayed the start of a game between the Kings and Atlanta Hawks, which concluded with a powerful post-game address from Kings team owner Vivek Ranadivé.
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