Trump vs Biden US Presidential Election: NBA arenas converted to voting centers

The NBA is fulfilling a promise to contribute to the elections by allowing their facilities to be used.

NBA Boycott — Referees huddled at the edge of an empty court Wednesday as the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic did not arrive for the scheduled start of their NBA playoff contest Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Kevin C. Cox

Late last August, when NBA players staged a boycott led by the Milwaukee Bucks due to another police brutality incident, one of the agreed upon conditions to resume games was to open NBA arenas as voting centers. As a result, the league is currently looking for basketball fans all across America to join them as poll workers.

According to NBA.com, team arenas will be used for the elections and other voting-related activities, including early voting, poll worker training locations, ballot-drop offs, non-partisan voter registration events, and Election Day voting.

NBA players such as LeBron James and NBPA President Chris Paul are urging people to vote. A lot of players in the league believe that many people in highly urbanized areas find it inconvenient to vote due to the lack of polling centers. That is why one of the conditions to help with "social justice," the buzzword in the early part of the NBA restart, is to convince team owners to use their NBA facilities as polling stations at their (owners) expense.

Owners are fulfilling their side of the agreement, opening up 21 locations across the United States. The league is now calling for basketball fans' help to join them as volunteers and help as poll workers. Some players, including Orlando Magic's Mohamed Bamba, have already volunteered in the upcoming November elections.

Even the Los Angeles Clippers, who share the Staples Center with the Lakers and WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks as their home court, rented "The Forum" in Inglewood, California, as their contribution to the agreement.

With their home court in Canada, the Toronto Raptors are doing their part by advocating to Americans living in Canada to vote.

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, with himself being a well-respected player, played a crucial role in brokering the deal back in August to get players back on the court during the boycott. The Charlotte Hornets launched a citywide campaign to help educate people on the importance of voting.

The US General Elections are set for November 3rd. All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, 35 of 100 seats in the Senate, and the Office of the President of the United States are being contested. Democratic Candidate Joe Biden leads the poll over re-electionist Donald Trump in the presidential race.