The NBA takes to the Court to Help Spread the Word to End the Word
The Portland Trail Blazers hosted a Unified Basketball game during halftime in their game against the Houston Rockets.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) understands the importance of creating respect and acceptance for people with intellectual disabilities. On March 2nd, NBA teams around the country encouraged their fans to take the pledge and end the R-word.
Former NBA player and Special Olympics International Board Member Sam Perkins helped take the lead in supporting Spread the Word to End the Word.
"The word retard doesn't even belong in anyone's vocabulary, when it comes to talking about people who are affected with mental disabilities," Perkins says. "We just can't allow it. You hope that people from all over will stop using the word retard, because it's offensive and it doesn't apply anywhere in our language."
Several NBA teams hosted events to promote the day and the campaign, asking everyone to make a pledge to stop using the R-word. To read more about the NBA’s commitment to Spread the Word, read NBA.com’s full article.
Many NBA teams and players used Twitter to help Spread the Word to End the Word
Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks visited Susie B. Atkinson Elementary School and participated in an anti-bullying pep rally.