On the final day of last
summer (September 22, 2017), the Golden State Warriors’ phenom Step Curry
voiced his disinterest in taking the customary ceremonial visit to the White House, a time-honored tradition by many Championship sports teams in America. Curry is one among a host of
luminaries who have consistently expressed their displeasure with President
Trump, based on his policies and his rhetoric. During the team’s media day,
Curry had the following to say:
"My
views haven't changed at all. I don't know if anybody's changed. But that's
where I stand right now. I don't want to go. That's my nucleus of my
belief."
A number of Curry’s teammates, and his coach, Steve
Kerr, expressed similar sentiments. Kevin Durant said he would not go. So did
David West. Draymond Green added:
“We’re
going to have a discussion to pretty much take the temperature of everyone.
We’re going to decide what is best, whatever we think is best for us.”
Curry further explained his reservations thusly:
“Basically
the things he said and the things he hasn’t said at the right times, we won’t
stand for it. By acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change
when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what’s accepted and what
we turn a blind eye to.”
Steph noted the travails of Colin Kaepernick,
whom Trump disparaged for kneeling during the National Anthem as a way to
protest police brutality toward minorities. He also referenced Seahawks’
defensive end Michael Bennett, who said he experienced racial profiling
following the Mayweather-McGregor fight, when he had a gun drawn on him.
He conceded not going to the White House is not
the equivalent of a silver bullet, and will not instantly or miraculously make
all things right. But it is, he said, his opportunity to give voice to those
kinds of concerns. Coach Kerr, General Manager Bob Myers, and Co-owner Joe
Lacob agreed the decision deserved a proper forum and the right amount of
thought. Myers revealed that though there had been a discussion with the White
House, they had not granted a formal invitation (as I noted earlier). But that
was soon a moot point.
As you know, Mr. Trump considers himself the King
of clap back. So, shortly after hearing about what he considered Curry’s
unimaginably injurious slight, he withdrew the invitation that, while implied
due to custom, technically had not yet been extended. But I digress. As I find
myself saying, far too often these days, and thinking more frequently than I
say, this kind of tit for tat hijinks might actually be mildly amusing…were it
not for the fact that it involve the Leader of the free world as an integral
player.
Fast-forward to Saturday (the next day), and Mr.
Trump pulled out his old friend Twitter, and framed his retort, “officially,”
rescinding an invitation that was never, in reality, tendered, with however
many clicks of his keypad:
“Going to the White House is considered a great
honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation
is withdrawn!”
One presumes this kind of hissy fit of a rejoinder renders
Trump immensely satisfied, and his teeming mass of ardent supporters in a state
of full-scale orgasmic relief. Again, if only this were a segment of a weekly
comedy special, instead of acts characteristically endemic of the daily routine
of the man wearing the title POTUS. Sad.
But that was then. Yesterday, the Warriors sojourned to the
Nation’s Capital and spend the day reaching back to students. Kevin Durant has
roots in the D.C. area. He grew up in Suitland, MD, outside of the District.
The students selected for the visit attend his former elementary school. Speaking
of those youngsters, Durant said:
“Kids from my area don’t really get that
opportunity to be in front of champions like that. So hopefully it will inspire
them to just be whatever they want to be in life.”
To merge the visit, contextually, with the pending end of
Black History Month, the team planned a visit with them to the National Museum
of African American History and Culture. Durant was particularly excited about
the opportunity to be a part of the team taking kids from his old “hood” to see
the Museum, while facilitating their introduction to members of the Warriors
team. Before the visit he opined:
“Hanging with the kids tomorrow is going to be
pretty cool as well. Celebrate our Championship kids, especially in the
neighborhood I grew up in. It’s going to be pretty amazing. I just want them to
take it in. I want them to meet Steph and Klay. … Hopefully we set a good
example. I know we set a good example every time we walk on the court and every
time we walk around. It’s going to be cool to be up close and personal.”
It is worth noting that
Steph and Klay actually did visit the White House earlier, when the Warriors
won the NBA Title in 2015 and subsequently visited with President Obama in 2016.
Durant was not with the team at that time, but, as with the majority of the
players, coaches, management, and team ownership, he was on board with the
collective team decision to ditch what would have been the 2018 Edition of the
NBA Champions’ White House visit. The paramount reason and specific business
purpose for the Warriors’ visit to the Nation’s Capital comes this evening when
they play The Washington Wizards. Nevertheless, it’s a near certainty that
yesterday’s visit to the NMAAH&C with students from Seat Pleasant, Maryland
was critically important to the entire organization, and especially to their
newest star, and DMV homeboy, Kevin Durant. That’s why this post is entitled, “NBAChamps Skip White House Visit: Instead Take Students to Visit National Museumof African American History and Culture!”
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