Despite comments throughout the season that would indicate otherwise, there is still an outside chance the Warriors could make the customary visit to the White House traditionally extended to the team that wins the NBA Finals, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN is reporting.
Head coach Steve Kerr, the most outspoken critic of the Trump administration in the Warriors organization, told Shelburne that Golden State is going to meet as a team, and collectively decide if they want make the visit to D.C., assuming an invite is extended.
“We will meet as a team to discuss it and make a decision,” Kerr told ESPN. “I’ve talked to a couple of them about it. There are a lot of different dynamics to this and different viewpoints. We’ve got players from all over the world and all over the country, and they’re going to have different perspectives, so I think it’s important for us all to get in a room and hash it out and decide what we want to do.
“The league isn’t going to tell us what to do. They know it’s our decision and that, for me, really, it’s the players’ decision. I will put my two cents in, but the players, they’re the ones who won the championship, they’re the ones who did all the work, and they’re the ones who will be very responsible for everything that we do. As a staff, we try to guide them on the floor. But in the end, to me, it’s all about the players. Everything we do is about the players.”
Though the Warriors still haven’t received an official invitation from the White House, nor did they receive the traditional call from the president after winning the title in June, it has been reported that the White House would welcome the Warriors if they were ultimately open to attending the ceremony. Though Kerr made a series of strong comments admonishing the Trump administration during the season, he said recently on “The TK Show” podcast that it is important for the team to consider a potential invitation and that “it could have really positive ramifications if we did go.”
A number of Warriors players have also been critical of President Trump, including Kevin Durant who told ESPN last month that he has no interest in going to the White House.
“Nah, I won’t do that,” Durant said. “I don’t respect who’s in office right now.
“I don’t agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that,” said Durant, who said it wasn’t an organizational decision. “That’s just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they’ll all agree with me.”
Stephen Curry, Shaun Livingston, David West and Andre Iguodala have also voiced similar opinions.