The Golden State Warriors are this past year’s NBA champions. Like all major professional sports teams, they are expecting an invite to the White House to meet the sitting president. There has been speculation over the past few weeks that numerous members of the organization would “skip out” on a visit to this current White House—you know, because our president is a racist. One of the team’s star players, Kevin Durant, is getting ahead of all this by telling ESPN that he’s made a preemptive decision.
"Nah, I won't do that," said Durant, the 2017 NBA Finals MVP. "I don't respect who's in office right now."
What makes this even more perfect is that Durant’s hometown is only a few miles outside of Washington, D.C. But just in case you wish he would explain himself better and give any indication of what his fellow teammates might be thinking:
"I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," said Durant, who said it wasn't an organizational decision. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."
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"I'm representing a lot of people. As far as what's going on in our country, for one, as an athlete, you have to commend Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, CP3 [Chris Paul] [and] Dwyane Wade for starting that conversation last year. Russell Westbrook also said something in his speech. A lot [of] guys with platforms have drove the conversation in a good direction. And what's going on in Charlottesville, that was unfathomable."
Professional athletes like the ones named above are representing more people than even they imagine. It is unclear whether or not the White House has yet to offer an official invitation to the Warriors but knowing how butthurt unpopular President Trump gets when people of color don’t buy what he’s selling, I imagine the orange one might decide to “skip” this “tradition” as well. You know, the way he’s been skipping the “tradition” of “doing the job he was elected to do.”