Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant says he would skip a team visit to President Donald Trump’s White House if the team was ever invited.
In an interview with ESPN, Durant was asked if he’d visit the White House with his team, Durant insisted he would not do so because he doesn’t “respect” Trump.
“Nah, I won’t do that. I don’t respect who’s in office right now,” the 2017 NBA Finals MVP said.
Despite the hypothetical, there is currently no offer to the Warriors to visit the White House.
Durant also said he believes the whole team would decline an invitation to visit with the president.
“I don’t agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that,” Durant added. “That’s just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they’ll all agree with me.”
The player also jumped to the defense of national anthem protesters like Colin Kaepernick and others.
“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,” Durant added.
As to the events that led to Charlottesville, Durant said that President Trump was “driving” racism in the country.
“He’s definitely driving it,” Durant exclaimed. “I feel ever since he’s got into office, or since he ran for the presidency, our country has been so divided, and it’s not a coincidence. When [Barack] Obama was in office, things were looking up. We had so much hope in our communities where I come from because we had a black president, and that was a first.”
“So to see that and to be where we are now, it just felt like we took a turn for the worse, man. It all comes from who is in the administration,” he said.
Despite this charge, in two separate speeches, President Trump condemned the racists, white nationalists, and other dangerous protesters who perpetrated the attacks in Charlottesville last weekend.
“Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” Trump said in one such speech delivered in the White House Roosevelt Room on Monday, August 14.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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