Tragedy struck in Las Vegas less than 24 hours before the Milwaukee Bucks’ highly-anticipated showdown against the Indiana Pacers in the semifinal of the NBA In-Season Tournament. This is after three people were reportedly killed in a school shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which is just a few streets away from the venue of Thursday’s elimination game.
Tragic Shooting at UNLV Ahead of Milwaukee Bucks Game
There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Las Vegas leg of the NBA’s inaugural IST. The Bucks booked their place in the semifinal after a convincing win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. They were able to practice at the T-Mobile Arena earlier on Wednesday, just before the fatal shooting went down.
According to reports, a shooter opened fire at UNLV’s Lee Business School around noon. The man reportedly claimed the lives of three victims while wounding another.
Police have yet to reveal the identity of the man, but initial reports state that the suspect is a college professor whose application at UNLV was recently rejected by school officials.
At this point, there are no reports about any potential postponement of the semifinals on Thursday.
LeBron James Speaks Out on Tragedy
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the four remaining teams in the tournament. In fact, LeBron James and Co. had just landed in Vegas when the shooting transpired.
Being a staunch advocate against gun violence, James issued a statement after hearing about this most recent tragedy.
“The ability to get a gun and ability to, you know, to do these things over and over and over, and there’s been no change, is literally ridiculous,” James said, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “It makes no sense that we continue to lose innocent lives on campuses, in schools and shopping markets and, you know, movie theaters and all that type of stuff. It’s just, it’s ridiculous, just ridiculous.”
The Lakers battle the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night for a spot in the finals against either the Bucks or the Pacers.
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