National Basketball Association

Thunder's Victor Oladipo thinks we'll 'definitely' see national anthem protests in the NBA

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:06 p.m. ET

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The trend of making some kind of silent protest during the national anthem has gained traction around the sports world, after 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first made his gesture during the NFL's preseason.

Victor Oladipo, who was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer, believes it's something we'll see in the NBA during the upcoming season and explained his reasoning in an interview with Russ Bengtson of Complex Sports.

While the NFL has chosen to allow its players to protest, the NBA league office will have a decision to make if Oladipo is right.

The official rulebook states that "Players, coaches and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem."

In 1996, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (then with the Denver Nuggets) was suspended indefinitely without pay for refusing to stand during the anthem.

"The NBA's rule on this point is very clear and all our rules apply equally to all players," the league's statement said at the time.

The suspension ultimately lasted just one game, after Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand in line as required and pray to himself while the anthem was played.