--- title: NBA Won't Fine Players for Wearing 'I Can't Breathe' T-shirts description: League rules require that players wear attire of Adidas, who provides the NBA's apparel, during pre-game activities canonical: https://time.com/3625599/nba-players-i-cant-breathe-shirts/ author: Sports Illustrated article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-09T17:08:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:45.458Z article:section: Sports og:title: NBA Won't Fine Players for Wearing 'I Can't Breathe' T-shirts og:description: League rules require that players wear attire of Adidas, who provides the NBA's apparel, during pre-game activities og:url: https://time.com/3625599/nba-players-i-cant-breathe-shirts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc19720ad510f6f0/69876d8406f2c1819d332bd9/lebron-james-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Dec. 8, 2014, in New York. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NBA Won't Fine Players for Wearing 'I Can't Breathe' T-shirts twitter:description: League rules require that players wear attire of Adidas, who provides the NBA's apparel, during pre-game activities twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc19720ad510f6f0/69876d8406f2c1819d332bd9/lebron-james-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # NBA Won't Fine Players for Wearing 'I Can't Breathe' T-shirts > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Sports Illustrated / Scooby Axson](https://time.com/author/sports-illustrated/) ## Sports Illustrated / Scooby Axson Dec 9, 2014 5:08 PM UTC  Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Dec. 8, 2014, in New York. Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Dec. 8, 2014, in New York.Jason Szenes—EPA by [Sports Illustrated / Scooby Axson](https://time.com/author/sports-illustrated/) ## Sports Illustrated / Scooby Axson Dec 9, 2014 5:08 PM UTC The NBA will not fine players for wearing “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts in honor of a Staten Island man who died after police placed him a chokehold in July, [reports ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap](http://espn.go.com/nba/story/%5F/id/12001456/lebron-james-kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers-kevin-garnett-deron-williams-brooklyn-nets-wear-breathe-shirt-reference-eric-garner). Chicago [Bulls](http://www.si.com/nba/team/chicago-bulls) guard [Derrick Rose](http://www.si.com/nba/player/derrick-rose) [wore an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt](http://si.com/nba/2014/12/06/derrick-rose-i-cant-breathe-shirt) on Saturday during warm-ups before Chicago’s game against the Golden State [Warriors](http://www.si.com/nba/team/golden-state-warriors) to honor Eric Garner. Thousands across the country have protested after a grand jury decided last Wednesday not to indict the officer who put the chokehold on Garner. Cleveland [Cavaliers](http://www.si.com/nba/team/cleveland-cavaliers) forward [LeBron James](http://www.si.com/nba/player/lebron-james), guard [Kyrie Irving](http://www.si.com/nba/player/kyrie-irving) and Brooklyn [Nets](http://www.si.com/nba/team/brooklyn-nets) forward [Kevin Garnett](http://www.si.com/nba/player/kevin-garnett) and guards [Deron Williams](http://www.si.com/nba/player/deron-williams), [Jarrett Jack](http://www.si.com/nba/player/jarrett-jack) and [Alan Anderson](http://www.si.com/nba/player/alan-anderson) [all wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts](http://si.com/nba/2014/12/08/cavaliers-nets-i-cant-breathe-kyrie-irving-lebron-james) before Monday’s night contest at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Outside of the Barclays Center before the game, about 200 protesters chanted “I Can’t Breathe!” and “No justice! No peace! No racist police!” “I respect Derrick Rose and all of our players for voicing their personal views on important issues but my preference would be for players to abide by our on-court attire rules,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver [said](http://espn.go.com/nba/story/%5F/id/12001456/lebron-james-kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers-kevin-garnett-deron-williams-brooklyn-nets-wear-breathe-shirt-reference-eric-garner). League rules require that players wear attire of Adidas, who provides the NBA’s apparel, during pre-game activities. “You hear the slogan ‘NBA cares’ and it’s more evident than now to show some support,” Garnett [said](http://espn.go.com/nba/story/%5F/id/12001456/lebron-james-kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers-kevin-garnett-deron-williams-brooklyn-nets-wear-breathe-shirt-reference-eric-garner). “Obviously we’re not on the front line of this movement, but I think it’s important being from these communities and supporting these communities.” [_This article originally appeared on SI.com_](http://www.si.com/nba/2014/12/09/nba-i-cant-breathe-tshirts?xid=IFT-Trending) ### See Athletes Who Have Taken a Stand on Political Issues  African-American track team members Tommie Smith (C) and John Carlos (R) raised gloved Black Power fists as during the medal ceremony of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Both Smith and Carlos were suspended from the U.S. team, and both received death threats. "We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat," Carlos reportedly said at the time. Both are now in the Hall of Fame. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  In this image posted to Miami Heat basketball player LeBron James' Twitter account in 2012, Miami Heat players wear team hoodies to protest the killing of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman. (LeBron James via Twitter-- AP Photo) AP  Sweden's Moa Hjelmer sports rainbow nails at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia, to protest Russia's laws prohibiting gay "propaganda." (Martin Meissner-- AP) Martin Meissner—AP  Egyptian soccer player Ahmed Abdul Zaher shows a four-finger sign, widely known as a gesture of support for ousted Islamsist President Mohammed Morsi, after scoring a goal on November 10, 2013\. He was suspended from the team and from the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco after flashing the sign of support, and his team looked into trading him. (Desouki--AFP/Getty Images) Khaled Desouki—AFP/Getty Images  In 2010, the Phoenix Suns wore jerseys emblazoned with "Los Suns" on Cinco de Mayo, in response to an anti-immigration law recently passed in Arizona. (Christian Petersen--Getty Images) Christian Petersen—Getty Images  Los Angeles Clippers players wore their warmup jerseys inside out to protest racist remarks by team owner Donald Sterling on April 27, 2014, in Oakland, Calif. (Marcio Jose Sanchez--AP Photo) Marcio Jose Sanchez—AP  St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin raised his arms in the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture to show support for Michael Brown, before a game against the Oakland Raiders at the Edward Jones Dome. (Jeff Curry--USA TODAY Sports) Jeff Curry—USA Today Sports/Reuters  Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Dec. 8, 2014, in New York. 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