Rayshard Brooks' widow can't be more thankful for LeBron James and the rest of the NBA taking a stand with their boycott ... and she's hopeful true change is on its way.
Tomika Miller tells TMZ ... she beamed with pride after the Lakers and the rest of the NBA teams decided to boycott Wednesday's playoff games to bring attention to police brutality following the shooting of Jacob Blake and the 17-year-old who allegedly shot and killed 2 protesters in Kenosha, WI.
Tomika says there's a huge difference between her taking a stand at her workplace versus the NBA -- and several MLB, WNBA and MLS teams for that matter -- boycotting games. The size of the platform matters, and she says it brings a bigger spotlight on the plight of Black Americans.
Tomika said the players' actions let people like her know the "little people" are not forgotten by the privileged. As you know by now, Tomika's husband, Rayshard, was shot in the back and killed in June after cops found him asleep at the wheel at an Atlanta drive-thru.
When officers tried to handcuff him, a struggle ensued -- Brooks grabbed an officer's taser and ran before he was shot in the back 3 times. Making matters worse ... the family lawyer says cops waited more than 2 minutes to even check on Brooks once he was down.
Blake also was shot in the back ... 7 times at point-blank range by Kenosha, WI police officer Rusten Sheskey.
Brooks' family attorneys, L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, agree with Tomika and believe the pro athlete protests and boycotts will bring change more quickly because, sadly, money talks.