NBA Players, Teams React to Video of Tyre Nichols’ Police Beating – NBC 7 San Diego
Sebastian Wright
Updated on April 05, 2026
NBA players, as well as their teams and the league office, took to Twitter on Friday to react to the release of video showing the brutal police beating that led to the death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols in Memphis.
Change is needed at all levels and we all need to do our part. We can’t lose our humanity as a society.
To the Nichols’ family and Memphis community, my heart is with you tonight.
— Chris Paul (@CP3) January 28, 2023
Nichols, 29, was pulled over by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7. The video footage shows him being brutally beaten, and he would die in a hospital three days later. The five officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder.
The statements from around the NBA lamented Nichols' death and extended support to Nichols' family.
Several other teams, including the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timrberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks, also released statements.
The Grizzlies are the only major sports team in Memphis. They wrapped up a five-game road trip in Minnesota Friday and are scheduled to return to FedEx Forum on Sunday. The Grizzlies and Timberwolves held a moment of silence in Nichols' honor prior to Friday's tipoff.
The Grizzlies and Timberwolves held a moment of silence before the game to honor Tyre Nichols 🙏
Nichols was killed by five Memphis police officers following a traffic stop on Jan. 7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2023
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins addressed Nichol's death in his pregame press conference, about an hour before the scheduled release of the video.
"Our city is struggling right now. Our city is coping with the loss of one of our own in Tyre Nichols. It's devastating," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said his team had talked "multiple times" about the killing and that they "can't wait to get back home to put [their] arms around everyone in Memphis as they struggle with a ... senseless loss of life."
Jenkins also spoke about Nichols' family -- particularly his mom, whose interview earlier that day brought him to tears.
