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Warriors Decline White House Invite

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Illustration by Fintan O’Sullivan

The Warriors may not stand with President Donald Trump, but they do agree with him on one thing: they’re not visiting the White House in celebration of the 2017 NBA Championship.

Many of the team members have spoken out against Donald Trump. On September 22, Stephen Curry said he would not be accepting a potential invitation to the White House. In his statement, he made it clear that not attending was the result of a lack of respect for our president, not the White House. When asked why he would not be attending, Curry said, “by acting, and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country,” according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry isn’t the only Warrior who has spoken out against Trump. In the CSN Bay Area Warriors Insider Podcast, David West said “[Donald Trump] brought out an element of our society that a lot of folks assumed was dead.”

Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors has also questioned Trump’s ability to be president. “Has anyone ever thought that Donald Trump was a great leader?” asked Kerr in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

When ESPN asked Kevin Durant if he would be visiting the White House he responded with, “I won’t do that, I don’t respect who’s in office right now.” On another occasion, Kevin Durant noted that the team would still be celebrating their championship, they just wouldn’t do it at the White House. “

Trump tweeted on September 23 that visiting to the White House is considered a great honor, and he’s right. The White House represents the United States and the president, and invitations to the White House are almost never turned down.

However, the Warriors clearly stand united. They aren’t going to show false support for President Trump. The Bay Area has always been known for its liberal stances and its forceful opinions. With Trump in office, expression of opinions are becoming more fierce, and actions and protests are becoming more spectacular.

The Warriors represent the Bay Area, and their decision to forego the traditional visit to the White House represents all of us.