Reggie Miller Pledges Allegiance to Colin Kaepernick

Reggie Miller said he supports Colin Kaepernick and other players’ protests during the national anthem.

Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller was on Chelsea Handler’s Netflix show when he was asked about the controversy surrounding players kneeling, or otherwise protesting, during the national anthem.

Miller said that despite his own feelings about showing respect during the anthem, he stands with Colin Kaepernick and other players who use the time to protest.

Miller may not join Kaepernick down on a knee. But he wouldn’t want to stop him, either.

"“I’m an Air Force brat. … It was kind of ingrained for us to stand up at attention and respect it,” he said. “I am 100 percent Team Kaepernick because what this is doing, finally, is opening up a discussion that needs to be said.“People think it’s about the military and it’s disrespecting the government. No. What he is standing up for is what’s going on in America, on our streets.”"

It can be expected that the NBA will see similar protests when its season gets underway in a few weeks, though the league has a rule that players must stand up during the national anthem. However, the NBA is looking to find ways that allow the players the opportunity to protest without changing the rule.

The Pacers have discussed, among themselves, whether any of the players will protest, according to Nate Taylor. While there isn’t any word on what — if anything — the players will do, both Nate McMillan and Myles Turner spoke to Taylor about the sensitive subject last month.

"McMillan said he expected that the Pacers will adhere to the new protocol that the NBA sets.“I would certainly sit down with that individual so that he can be prepared for a situation like that as to what might happen and whether there will be a fine or a suspension,” McMillan said. “’That would be my reason for wanting to know and talk about it if they decide to take that stance.”Turner said he appreciated McMillan for wanting to be proactive with his players before the season starts.“Nate was a player, an African-American player in a different time period than us at that, and he’s watched the league change,” Turner said. “If we were to do anything, I know he’d understand. He has a stance and he has a platform as well, being an African-American coach. I think he’d be very understanding. It’s refreshing to hear that he would back us if we did do something.”"

Whether they do anything during games, some players — including Turner, Glenn Robinson III, Rakeem Christmas — have used social media to speak out about the issues faced by black people.

Right now we don’t know if any of the current Pacers have anything planned.

We did recently learn that former Pacers forward David West has his own quiet way of protesting during the anthem — and he’s been doing it in relative anonymity for years.

West spoke to the Undefeated about the problems black people face, going beyond police brutality.

"While the rest of the Warriors players stood in line across the court, as usual, West’s actions could have been perceived as the latest athlete protest of the national anthem following San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s move. West told The Undefeated, however, that he actually has been last in line and standing just behind his teammates during the national anthem for years. It just went unnoticed as West says his personal stance is about issues “a lot deeper” than just the major one Kaepernick is raising.“What about education? What about infant mortality? How about how we die younger and our babies die sooner?” power forward West told The Undefeated after the Warriors’ 97-93 preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver, British Columbia. “We die. [Black men] have the shortest life expectancy. C’mon, man. The health care system? There are so many [issues]. It’s like, whatever …“I can’t start talking about civic issues. I can’t start talking about civility and being a citizen if m*****f***ers don’t even think I’m a human being. How can you talk about progress and how humans interrelate with one another when you don’t even recognize our humanity? We got to somehow get that straight first so we’re on the same playing field. And that’s how I feel. There is just a lot of stuff, man.”"

West doesn’t remember how long he’s been taking a step back at the end of the line. But he was reminded of the many issues affecting black people in this country after being drafted by the but when he was drafted to the New Orleans Hornets,

Former Indianapolis Star reporter Candace Buckner detailed West’s realization in a 2014 article for the paper.

"West had a hard time reconciling his status as a highly paid professional basketball player with the city in which he made his wealth. Any sense of ego or self that emerged out of draft night in 2003 was shattered once he landed in New Orleans.Here he was in the 21st century, and West was learning that chain gangs were still very real, filled with men who looked like himself and his Hornets teammates. When he visited local juvenile detention centers, he met boys who were charged with felonies but should’ve been in the third grade. Those who weren’t locked up might be attending parish elementary schools where the lunchroom had a dirt floor and the books in the library were 20 years out of date.“You go to certain parts of New Orleans and (if) you had a blindfold on and someone took the blindfold off, you would think you weren’t in America,” West said. “And I was having a difficult time getting paid a million or so dollars — and when I got into the NBA, I realized that I was on my own in feeling like that.“(I’m like), ‘Yo! Nobody else sees that there’s something wrong here?’ “"

The problem is nothing new, and likely these issues aren’t new to the players even if they start publicly protesting now.

In Indiana, WNBA players made international headlines recently for following in Kaepernick’s footsteps. The whole team, according to Sports Illustrated, decided to unite in protest following the shootings of Terrence Crutcher in Oklahoma and Keith Lamont Scott in North Carolina that same week.

The Fever’s Marissa Coleman explained her decision on Facebook.

"“I have close family friends that have served this country. My brother in law fought for this country. My boyfriend was in the navy. My dad is a retired police officer. I would never disrespect them or devalue their service. My question is, why is it when you stand for something it is automatically assumed you’re against the opposite?? It makes no sense to me. I promise it is humanely possible and okay to be for Black Lives Matter, still support the hard working and dedicated officers and know that all lives matter. I promise it’s humanly possible to take a knee to spark conversations/bring awareness and still support our troops. I promise. You should try it. The bigger disrespect to this country and those who fight for it is staying silent on these issues that plague African-Americans and people of color."

Next: Pacers Pulse: Myles Turner Returns To Practice

Once the Pacers start their season, any of the players who kneel, step back, or do anything else will likely face plenty of scrutiny. But that isn’t anything new for black men standing up for the rights either.