TRUMP: TEAM NOT WELCOME
Green says president beat them to the punch: ‘I’m happy the game is over’
OAKLAND >> The text messages flooded Stephen Curry’s phone, perhaps as fast as when he makes shots from anywhere on the court.
The Warriors’ star estimated he received about 20 texts when he first woke up on Saturday morning, flooding with messages “applauding me for sticking to my own beliefs” on his public criticism of President Donald Trump and his refusal to accept any White House invitation.
Trump then tweeted at around 4:45 a.m. PT on Saturday, “going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!”
“It’s kind of funny that tweet was sent before we had a chance to get together as a team,” Curry said after the Warriors’ first trainingcamp practice on Saturday. “My stance is the same as it was and cemented even further with how things in our country have gone, especially with him representing us and me in a very damaging way.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr learned about the news in similar fashion. His wife informed Kerr when he was “half asleep.” Once he became conscious, Kerr said he “was not surprised.”
“He was going to break up with us before we could break up with him,” Kerr quipped. “That’s the way it goes.”
Many suspected that is the way it would go, anyway. Kerr represented one of several members of Warriors that publicly criticized Trump’s policies and rhetoric that drew scrutiny from various minority groups. And the Warriors shortly sent out a statement that said, “we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited” to the White House before playing the Washington Wizards on Feb. 28 in the nation’s capital.
“He beat us to the punch,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Trump. “I’m happy the game is over.”
The Warriors spent the first day of training camp fielding mostly questions about Trump and little about basketball, a reality they willingly accepted partly because the news cycle would soon focus on hoops.
Yet, the Warriors anticipated spending the first day of training camp speaking with co-owner Joe Lacob, coaches and players on how they would formally handle a potential White House invitation. Warriors general manager Bob Myers added he had “discussions with representatives of the White House” recently about a possible visit.
“I don’t know why he needs to target certain individuals rather than others,” Curry said. “I have an idea of why, but it’s kind of beneath a leader of a country to go that route. It’s not what leaders do.”
Curry’s wife, Ayeesha, soon tweeted as well, this one aimed directly at the president. Ayeesha Curry sent Trump a link to donate to UNICEF, which would help victims affected by the earthquake this week in Mexico City. Several other former and current NBA players tweeted their support, including Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and LeBron James, who called Trump “a bum.”
“I laughed because I heard that said in pickup games all the time,” Curry said of James’ tweet. “That’s a pretty strong statement. I think it’s bold and courageous for any guy that speaks up, let alone a guy that has much to lose as LeBron does.”
The NBA and its players association were also outspoken. The NBPA said in a statement that it “defends its members’ exercise of their free speech rights against those who would seek to stifle them.”
“I was in favor of the team visiting the White House and thought it was a rare opportunity for these players to share their views directly with the President,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “I am disappointed that that will not happen. More importantly, I am proud of our players for taking an active role in their communities and continuing to speak out on critically important issues.”