Bucks' Parker speaks at anti-racism rally; Brogdon shares thoughts about Charlottesville

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker has been active this summer.

He's spent time in town rehabbing his torn left anterior cruciate ligament, grinding his way back from the same injury that ended his rookie season less than three years ago. Parker, who is hoping to be ready for game action in February, has added strength and for months has been back on the court doing shooting drills and other individual workouts. His progress has been such that numerous Bucks staffers have marveled at how far he's come in such little time after suffering his injury last February.

But rehabbing his injury isn't the only activity Parker has been involved in this summer. He visited Paris to watch the World Streetball Championships, held basketball camps in Milwaukee and on Monday spoke at an anti-racism rally in Salt Lake City.

Speaking to a crowd of about 2,000 people, the 22-year-old Bucks forward, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addressed his diverse background, his need to speak up for diversity and his love for all in a short speech that was captured on video by the Salt Lake Tribune.

Parker's decision to take the stage at Monday's rally, which was held in opposition to the white-supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Va. over the weekend, continued his effort to use his platform as a professional athlete to share a positive message.

Over the past two summers in particular, Parker has been intentional about speaking his mind regarding social justice issues.

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A year ago, he tweeted about not always feeling safe around police officers in light of the spate of officer-involved shootings that had occurred. He also penned a piece for the Players Tribune about his experience growing up on the south side of Chicago, where gangs and gun violence were a dangerous part of everyday life. That essay was followed by an appearance as part of a panel on ESPN discussing athletes, responsibility and violence, saying it was part of his duty as a high-profile athlete to speak out against illegal activity and injustice.

Parker's words and efforts have generally trended toward positivity, including his short speech on Monday, which ended with this message:

“I want to set the record straight: we all came here to build, not to destroy," Parker said. "We came out here because we don’t hate them, we just don’t like them. But they hate us. So thank you guys and stay well. Peace out."

Brogdon speaks out

Parker's teammate, Malcolm Brogdon, a former star at the University of Virginia — the epicenter of this weekend's rally and violence — gave an interview to Sports Illustrated Now on Wednesday.

In the video interview, he was first asked to express his feelings about seeing his alma mater in the middle of this incident.

“Honestly for me it was pretty shocking," Brogdon said. "To see this in a place that I call home is sort of jarring for me. But if I were to be honest, (with) the level of hate and blatant racism that still dominate the minds of so many Americans today, it’s not shocking to me. I think at the end of the day you have to call it what it is. I think this is white supremacy and I think it’s domestic terrorism.

"I think we live in a country where we go overseas and we fight other people’s wars and we fight terrorism overseas internationally, but we don’t want to fully acknowledge the terrorism that goes on domestically. I think it’s a shocking event, but it’s not surprising ... the hate that is still around.”

During the five-minute interview, Brogdon also shared his opinion regarding Confederate monuments, including a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville near UVA's campus. Debate surrounding the Lee statue ignited strong feelings, which culminated in this weekend's rally and counterprotest.

“My thoughts about it have never changed," Brogdon said. "I’m a person that thinks things should not be glorified that did not do the country any justice. For example, these statues, I think they stand still but all they do is divide people. At this point in time, I think America needs to be unified and the statues are clearly something that’s not unifying people. It’s going to continue to create a divide within our communities and I think they have no place in our society right now.”

Watch the full interview below.