LOS ANGELES, Calif. Joe Allen Wales Jersey . - Kobe Bryant and nearly all of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates wore black T-shirts reading I Cant Breathe during their game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.The Lakers each had the T-shirts on their chairs in their dressing room before the game. Every player except backup centre Robert Sacre wore the shirts in pregame warmups, and most players kept them on while sitting on the bench during the game.Bryant, a 16-time All-Star and the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history, orchestrated the Lakers silent declaration of support for the family of Eric Garner, who died July 17 after a New York police officer placed him in a chokehold while he was being arrested.After Bryant scored 32 points in the Lakers 98-95 victory, he spoke passionately about the convictions that led him to the decision.I think if we ever lose the courage to be able to speak up for things that we believe in, I think we really lose the value that our country stands for, Bryant said. Its important that we have our opinions. Its important that we stand up for what we believe in. We all dont have to agree with it, and thats completely fine. Thats what makes this a beautiful country.Bryant and the Lakers followed the lead of LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Kevin Garnett and other athletes across U.S. sports by wearing the shirts to keep a spotlight on Garners death and its broader consequences.A recording of Garners arrest showed him gasping I cant breathe during the fatal encounter. Thousands have protested a grand jury decision not to indict the officer for several days, and Bryant sees the seeds of positive worldwide change in the tragedy.Youre kind of seeing a tipping point right now in terms of these social issues, Bryant said. Its become at the forefront now, as opposed to just being a local issue. Its something thats carried over and spilled into mainstream. ... You dont just see African-Americans out there protesting. Its not something that you just see in the United States of America. Its become a global thing.Bryant said the protests have become a thing where people are really standing up for their rights.Theyre really questioning the justice system and questioning the process of the legal system, and those who have authority and whether or not theyre abusing authority, and whats the threshold to use deadly force and so forth, Bryant added. But thats what our nation is founded on. We have the ability to question these things in a peaceful fashion, and thats what makes us a great country, is we have the ability to voice up. We have the platform to speak up, and we have the platform to affect change.The rest of the Lakers backed Bryant, and coach Byron Scott had no problem with his former teammates thoughts.Its freedom of choice and freedom of speech, Scott said. Thats their choice, and whatever they choose, Im going to support them. Ashley Williams Jersey . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. Joe Allen Jersey .C. -- The Steve Smith era in Carolina is over. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/customized/ . QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on.PIESTANY, Slovakia -- With first place in Group B of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup sealed, Canadas under-18 mens hockey team didnt let up in routing host Slovakia 5-1 on Wednesday. Canada got goals from Ethan Bear, Lawson Crouse, Mitchell Marner, Travis Konecny and Tyler Soy but most importantly stayed healthy going into Fridays semifinal showdown with the United States. "I thought we did a lot of little things well," coach Jody Hull said. "Its a tough game to play knowing that youve already clinched first place, but I think we accepted the challenge and kept things very simple in our game plan. The biggest was to stay with our team structure and to get through the game without any injuries." In getting through pool play undefeated, Canada outscored its opponents 15-3. One of the keys to getting through the Slovakia game was scoring early, which Bear did 5:20 in. That took some of the pressure off in a game that had no tangible meaning. "Its just a different game," Hull said. "It was three games in three nights for our guys, and they played hard the first couple nights. Thhats always difficult. Wales Soccer Jerseys. I thought that we were able to manage ice time very well and get everyone into the game." Soy, who scored Canadas fifth goal of the game, said players tried not to think about nothing being on the line. "As a team we didnt want to take the night off or not go as hard as we can," the Cloverdale, B.C., native said. "We just want to keep building with what weve already started and treat it as if it was just any other game and go hard. Were still building as a team and were just getting that much better as we go along." Next up is the U.S., which has won two of its three games so far at the tournament. Hull said his team has a good chemistry going, and Soy hopes that continues to show on the ice in the semifinal round. "I cant wait," Soy said. "I feel like the U.S. and Canada have made a pretty big rivalry in the past couple years and Im really excited for us moving forward." The medal games are set for Saturday. Canada has won this tournament six years in a row, and 18 of the past 23 times since it began in 1991. ' ' '