Jamahl Mosley had things to say after the Orlando Magic finished practice on Thursday. They were not about basketball.
Upon hearing the news of Thursday's shooting at Florida State University, with investigators saying two people were killed and six others injured, Mosley's mind immediately shifted away from playoff preparations.
To him, thoughts of the upcoming NBA playoff series between the Magic and the defending champion Boston Celtics — Game 1 is Sunday — could wait.
“This is the opportunity right now to talk about putting things in perspective,” Mosley said, unprompted at the start of his media availability and not taking any questions until he got the words out. “What’s going on at Florida State ... I just want to send thoughts, prayers that things are handled speedily and that we can just continue to pray for those that have been impacted by this.
“Lives are more important, and human beings are more important, than a basketball game or a playoff series at any given time,” Mosley added. “And that’s what we need to continually remember in these moments right now.”
Mosley, like many other NBA coaches, has used his platform to speak out on various matters when he feels it's necessary or can be helpful. Orlando is located in the center of the state, about a 250-mile drive from Florida State's campus in Tallahassee, the state capital.
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac played for one season at Florida State before entering the NBA.
“My mind is kind of all over the place,” Isaac said after he got the initial news, which broke while the Magic were practicing. “Obviously, I don’t have the details, but it’s tragic and I’m sad about it. I’m sad about anything that happens like this anywhere but for it happen at Florida State takes a toll, means a lot."
Isaac is very open about his faith, and said he'd be relying on that.
“The Bible says to grieve with those who grieve, mourn with those who mourn,” Isaac said. “During this time it’s not really a feel-good message, ‘Oh, everything’s going to be OK.’ We've got to get through this. It’s hard. It’s difficult.”
The conversation between Mosley and reporters eventually shifted to basketball and the upcoming series with the Celtics, but not before he expressed more sadness and frustration about the tragedy.
“It's about coming together,” Mosley said. “It's about finding the human being in everything we do, because lives are being lost and have been lost. We play a game of basketball — but I think the faster we can understand about coming together as human beings the better things can be.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
