“One thing for sure we represent D.C. We play on one of the biggest platforms in D.C., and I think it should get some national attention,” Morris said. “I know the cops are working as hard as they can to bring them back, but it needs more.”

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John Wall, too, used his Instagram page to express concern over the missing girls and felt similar outrage as Morris.

“I just feel like that’s outrageous,” Wall said. “We have to do better as a country. As a city of D.C., we have to do a better job of putting a focus on it. There’s no way I should be able to see that first on social media before I hear about it on the news or nationwide.”

The players, including Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, who joined the outcry, were like many others on social media who viewed the missing teen cases as a crisis. But on March 16, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the city’s acting police chief held a joint news conference to debunk the widespread belief that young African American girls are vanishing off D.C. streets. The increased attention follows Metropolitan Police Department’s Twitter efforts to publicize “critical” missing-person cases, which are mostly children under 15 and adults over 65. According to the MPD website, there are currently 10 “juvenile critical” open cases while another 534 cases have been closed. Last week, Bowser announced the city will establish a special task force for children who go missing.

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Even so, the story signifies the continuing trend of NBA players who use their social media platforms to bring awareness to issues. Today’s athletes are speaking out — but mostly to their online audiences.

On Jan. 21 before the Wizards played a game in Detroit, Kelly Oubre Jr. tweeted encouragement to participants in the Women’s March on Washington. Last July, Bradley Beal wrote an impassioned note on Instagram explaining his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Wall also memorialized Miyah Telemaque-Nelson, who passed away from Burkitt’s lymphoma in 2014, by writing her name on his shoes and featured his young friend on his Instagram feed.

While the Wizards have mostly saved such matters for social media, during the time when several athletes knelt during the national anthem, the team made a public show of unity by linking arms as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. Before the season, Coach Scott Brooks said players should recognize their platform to speak out but be ready to do more than just talk.

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“If you’re going to have a stance,” Brooks said in September, “back it up with some action.”

Morris, who spent several minutes discussing his concern about the missing girls after the Wizards’ win Saturday night, is willing to do just that.

In Cleveland, Morris regretted that he had left his newly made T-shirt on the team bus. The black and white shirt reads: “14 Black Girls Are Missing From The DC Area,” and Morris plans to display it for the rest of the season. On Saturday, while still convinced he needed to do something about the missing girls, Morris voiced plans for producing 13 more shirts for his Wizards teammates.

“I’m actually trying to get them all made so we can wear them out during the game. It just needs more attention. It’s not getting enough. Especially national attention,” Morris said.