King’s dream alive for both teams
CLEVELAND — Hours before their nationally televised MLK Day matchup at Quicken Loans Arena, members of the Warriors and Cavaliers used their post-shootaround media availabilities to promote togetherness in the spirit of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“The state of racism will never die, but what we cannot do is allow it to conquer us as people,” Cleveland forward LeBron James told reporters. “We can’t allow it to divide us. ... (President Trump) has given people and racism ... an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear.
“And that’s the fearful thing for us because it’s with you, and it’s around every day, but he’s allowed people to come out and just feel confident about doing negative things . ... We can’t allow that to stop us from continuing to be together and preach the right word of living and loving and laughing and things of that nature. Because would we want to live anywhere else? I don’t think so. We love this place.”
James has been vocal about his displeasure with the president. Within the past year, he has criticized Trump for his divisive campaign rhetoric; his executive order banning immigrants from majority-Muslim countries from traveling to the United States; his profane comments about NFL players who protest racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem; and his decision to pull the Warriors’ invitation to celebrate the team’s NBA title at the White House.
“We are in a difficult state right now as Americans as well with the leader of our country,” James said Monday. “But us, like I said, no matter the religion, no matter the shapes and sizes, we all have to continue to come together and shine a brighter light on, you know, I mean, (I don’t want to) use the word stupidity, but that’s basically what it comes down to.”
In reflecting on the current presidential administration, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said King would “be less than inspired by the leadership in our country. There’s no doubt about that.”
“You always hear people saying, ‘risking their life,’ ” James said. King “actually gave up his life for the betterment of all of us to be able to live in a free world and for us to be able to have a voice, for us to go out and be free, no matter your skin color, no matter who you are, no matter the height and size and the weight or whatever the case may be, wherever you are. He had a vision and he took a bullet for all of us.
“Literally. In the rawest form that you could say that. He literally took a bullet for us. And for us to stand here even though we’re trying to be divided right now by somebody, today is a great day for people to realize how America was built and how we all have to stand united in order to be at one.”
Added Warriors forward Kevin Durant: “It’s always darkest before the dawn. I feel like we’re in a dark place as a nation, but we’re going to get out of it.”