Team USA hoping to unite a divided country
LAS VEGAS — Team USA breaks every huddle with the same one-word proclamation: United.
The emphasis on team, the feeling of playing for something bigger, is not abnormal come Olympics time. And, normally, an all-black roster in basketball isn’t noteworthy.
But given the racial tension in this country, the prevalence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the symbolism is not lost on this group.
“We’re going through a tough time right now, in the country and also around the world, and we can provide that sense of togetherness and unity,” new Warriors star Kevin Durant said. “Obviously, we definitely want to win a gold medal. That’s the most impor- tant thing for us as basketball players. But when we look at the big picture of things, we want people to see how much we love each other, see how much we love being around each other. … We want that united feel when you watch us play. I think having these great group of guys together, you’ll see that.”
The team representing the United States in the Sum- mer Games in Brazil is all African-American. Again, in basketball, not newsworthy. But, in America, black men are a lightning rod topic. The last few years have been marred with the deaths of several African-American men at the hands of cops, prompting outcry, protests and social media
discourse — and backlash. Matters have intensified with police being killed in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
It was enough to make four NBA players — Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — hijack the introduction of the ESPYs to deliver a message denouncing violence and encouraging community building. That was the latest in several statements NBA players have made regarding race matters.
The Miami Heat took a team photo with hoodie on to show solidarity with Trayvon Martin, a black teen who was killed in 2012. The Los Angeles Clippers took off their warm-up shirts together as a way of denouncing former owner Donald Sterling in mid2014, and Stephen Curry was planning a Warriors boycott with teammates before Sterling was ousted by the NBA owners. Later that year, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose and James led a contingent of players who wore T-shirts that read “I Can’t Breathe” during warmups, words uttered by Eric Garner when he was being choked to death by police.
NBA players have been thinking about race matters for years now. They have talked about it privately and spoken out publicly. They have made provocative gestures and silent moves to promote change. And now they are about to represent the very country in which their presence, at minimum, solicits a passionate response.
Their plan as they head to Brazil? These 12 black men, ranging in age from 24 to 32, aim to be the change they want to see in the world.
“It’s about a whole country that we’re representing on the biggest stage that you could possibly be on,” Carmelo Anthony said. “Using that platform to go out there and perform, I think the world seeing us, and our country seeing us, unite during this time, I think that’s a message within itself.”
Anthony, 32, is one of the most outspoken players. In April 2015, he marched with peaceful protesters in Baltimore outraged over the death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody.
The elder statesmen on Team USA, Anthony’s example and concern sets a tone for the rest of the team. The push these days is for involvement at the community level. Before their ESPY moment, Anthony took to Instagram to encourage his colleagues to demand change at the local level.
According to ESPN’s The Undefeated, Anthony is organizing a town hall meeting in Los Angeles.
“You’ve got to respect and honor a person like that,” DeMarr DeRozan said of Anthony. “We stand by him 110 percent.”
The imagery is power- ful. One of the issues at the core of the issues between the police and African-American community is the perception of black men. The police involved in these incidents, and some around the country, responding out of fear, using deadly force under the assumption their lives are in danger. But protestors question the legitimacy of that fear and contend it is steeped in racism.
But come August, these 12 African-American men won’t represent anything to be afraid of, save for their smother defense and transition offense. They plan to chip away at perceptions with their graciousness, attacking stigmas with their kindness and selflessness.
And, they hope, the positive image they display softens stereotypes and challenge Americans to follow their lead.
“It starts with each individual,” Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said. “How can we better ourselves on a daily basis? Every time its a situation, we get to finger pointing. And don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of messed up situations. But it starts with ourselves every day ... and then the rest will handle itself.” Read Marcus Thompson II’s blog at blogs.mercurynews. com/thompson. Contact him at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ThompsonScribe.