UCLA players wear ‘Free Shabazz’ shirts; Ben Howland disapproves

The “Free Shabazz” movement made its way from the Pauley Pavilion stands onto the court Tuesday.

In an apparent sign of solidarity toward their fellow freshman, Kyle Anderson, Tony Parker and Jordan Adams wore light-blue “Free Shabazz” T-shirts, bearing the face of Shabazz Muhammad in silhouette with the words “Free Shabazz” underneath, during warm-ups before the Bruins played UC Irvine.

The highly touted Muhammad was declared ineligible by the NCAA Nov. 9 after an investigation found a violation of amateurism issues; a timeline for resolution of his case is unclear.

After the game, UCLA Coach Ben Howland said he was unaware that his players wore the shirts, which have been growing in popularity among UCLA students and other Bruins fans.

“That will not happen again,” Howland said. “That’s not something we can do.”

When asked about the shirts, Adams said, “No comment.”

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