Around NBA, coaches react to mob’s Capitol assault
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams is all about family.
So on Wednesday, when he saw the chaotic scene in Washington, D.C., where thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters marched to the U.S. Capitol and many of them stormed into the building in opposition to Congress certifying election results, his first thought was for his mother.
“We texted just to make sure stuff like that wasn’t leaking out into (Prince George’s County) where I grew up.” Williams said before the Suns faced the Toronto Raptors at Phoenix Suns Arena.
While he admits not having an answer for what happened, Williams says he’ll have to talk with his children about something that hasn’t happened since 1814 when British troops burned the building during the War of 1812.
“This is another conversation I have to have with my kids to let them know that’s not the way,” he said. “That’s not what we do. That’s not how you do it. There’s a process in our government and our system that has to be respected and we didn’t see that today.”
Toronto coach Nick Nurse was asked before the game not only about Wednesday’s events at Capitol Hill, but also about no charges being filed against Rusten Sheskey, a white police officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back in August of last year.
“Really disturbing, I think, on both fronts,” Nurse said. “Disturbing. Disgusting. Incredulous. Sad. I think it’s very sad. This seems to not stop and it seems to not improve.”
At an earlier rally Wednesday, Trump encouraged supporters to march on the
Capitol as the electoral votes were being certified by Congress to complete the election process.
“It’s not unexpected,” Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “It’s tragic in nature. I think it’s sad, honestly. It’s a sad reality. That’s really what it is. It’s unfortunate that this is what we’re looking at in our country after the year we’ve been through, but it’s not unexpected.”
Hours later, Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill, which at first was hardly being policed at the level something of this nature warranted.
Trump eventually put out a video for his supporters to go home.
“I will say it, because I don’t think a lot of people want to. Can you imagine today, if those were all Black people storming the Capitol, and what would have happened?” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said as the 76ers played the Washington Wizards. “That, to me, is a picture that’s worth a thousand words for all of us to see.”
CNN reported four people died with a woman being shot. Nurse was stunned the protestors forced their way into the building with a lack of law enforcement to stop them.
“Never in your wildest dreams you’d think people could just walk in there and start walking down the hallways and do what they were doing,” Nurse said. “It’s seems unfathomable to me.”
Pierce, an African-American male like Williams and Rivers, doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that happened the day after the Rev. Raphael Warnock became the first Black senator in Georgia.
“We live in a divided country,” Pierce said. “We can say it’s power and politics, but it’s race as well. Today is a reflection and it’s a truth. For those who have neglected the issues concerning people of color, the communities of color, AfricanAmericans, and their abilities to have access. If you’ve ever neglected that, you’re seeing it today to see that it’s real. Racism is real. The issues are real.”
The National Guard was eventually called upon to police the situation as a 6 p.m. curfew was issued in Washington D.C. “It’s such a blatant contrast in how people are treated in this country based on the color of their skin,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Thousands of White people can storm the Capitol and not face any sort of obstruction from police, but heaven forbid a 12-year-old Black boy carrying a toy gun at the park or 15-year-old black boy walk home from a store with a bag of Skittles or a young Black male run through a neighborhood on a jog.”
Kerr was referring to Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery, whom were all shot and killed.
“Heaven forbid any of those things happen, but it’s OK for 1,000s of traitors, basically, storming the Capitol and we’re not going to put up any resistance,” Kerr continued. “We’re just going to allow it. A blatant, blatant display of the inequity in our country.”