Nets will not protest during national anthem in preseason opener

The Brooklyn Nets will not take part in any political protest during the national anthem before the preseason opener at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night.

Jeremy Lin told the New York Post that the team talked about it and don’t feel they should do anything right now.

“We just had a discussion, but we feel like at this point we probably won’t do anything,” point guard Jeremy Lin told The Post. “Not that we don’t believe in anything, but a lot of what we had wanted to say has been said. So I feel like we’re just going to stand and at the same time figure out off the court – as individuals, as an organization, as a team – what we can do. But that’s an ongoing discussion.”

The Nets will stand on Tuesday, but Lin mentioned how this is an “ongoing discussion.” DeMarre Carroll had told reporters the Nets would do something “collectively” and that it would be discussed before the game.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson said he wants his players to talk about these issues to bring a sense of unity to the community and within the locker room.

“We haven’t come out with a statement, but I think our idea, however our players approach this, I want them to be unified through it,” said Atkinson.

“We have a diverse group of guys. I want them to talk about it. Obviously we want to follow the NBA rules, that’s important to us. I think our guys understand that – they’re going to talk about it. I’m not sure exactly what they’ll do, but they have my support. I think we have a really diverse group that understands, it needs to be a unified message.”

Last season, the Nets locked arms before every game to show a sign of unity. It was something Jeremy Lin and the team orchestrated. We’ll see if they choose to do anything different going forward, but they will stand for Tuesday night’s anthem.

• Why Nets decided against national anthem protest - Brian Lewis - New York Post