The initiative is in partnership with Peace For DC, a local organization that supports violence prevention workers.

Mystics point guard Natasha Cloud similarly spoke out against gun violence in 2019, after a pair of shootings outside an elementary school in Southeast.

Guard Ariel Atkins and center Tina Charles are two of the 12-woman roster set to represent their country.

“We’re frustrated, we’re pissed off,” says the Mystics player.

Both teams decided they would instead “kneel, lock arms and raise fists during the National Anthem.”

Some of your favorite D.C. athletes will spend the next few months promoting voting, and the owner of the Wizards and Capitals is even offering up the Capital One Arena as a possible polling place for the November election.

“My personal physician who has treated me for Lyme disease for years advised me that I’m at high risk for contracting and having complications from COVID-19,” says Delle Donne.

LaToya Sanders will also not rejoin the team this year, alluding to ongoing health and safety concerns.

The WNBA announced the start of the season after a four-month delay due to COVID-19.

The parade, originally scheduled for May 11, has been postponed.