Sixers discuss significance of Derek Chauvin being convicted in death of George Floyd

Doc Rivers is more than a coach to the 76ers.

The future Hall of Famer often talks to them about current events. Wednesday morning’s discussion was about former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being convicted on all counts in the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black male.

The jury found Chauvn guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Floyd’s slaying sparked worldwide protests and reckoning on race in America.

As his verdict was announced, people were shown on TV around the country shouting, praying, and raising their fists to the heavens. A large portion of those people knew in their hearts that Chauvin was guilty of committing murder. They watched the cellphone video of the killing.

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But it wasn’t a forgone conclusion.

That’s because there were pictures in 1930 of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith being lynched by a mob in Marion, Ind. There was a video of Rodney King being beaten police in Southern California in 1991. And there was the video of Tamir Rice being fatally shot in 2014 by a police officer in Cleveland. No one was ever held accountable for any of those incidents or many others like them.

“We dicussed it today as a group, man,” Danny Green said of Rivers, 59, bringing up the Chauvin conviction. “You know, Doc, he’s lived [through] a good amount of it. He knows what it was like back then. He went through it. And he said, which is sad that, you know if it happened back then, it probably wouldn’t have been a trial, which is crazy.

“But it’s a win. It’s a big win. It’s huge. I think more so instead of people being excited about it, I think more people feel like, it’s-about-damn-time type of situation. But it’s a move in the right direction.”

Green said he knows there’s still a ways to go in regards to improving the country. But this is a good start and a good change.

Rivers said his reaction to the conviction was a little mixed.

“The fact that we celebrated a man who committed murder is going to jail,” he said. “You know, I thought about that last night, and I’m not so sure if we’ve come a long way or we have a long way to go. You can think of that either way.”

But like Green, he said the right thing happened. So he was excited about that.

“You know Blacks have been dehumanized for a long time,” Rivers said. “And to see a man go to jail for killing a Black man should not be significant. But it is. And so I guess in that way, you know we are coming a long way. But we still have a long way to go.”