The Golden State Warriors recently won their second NBA championship in three years by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors exacted revenge by defeating the Cavaliers, who had an improbable comeback from a 3-1 deficit in last year’s finals.
Sadly, in this politically-charged climate, the Warriors were asked about their customary invitation to the White House before the champagne even got warm.
Although not confirmed by the team, it appears that the Golden State Warriors will decline their invitation to the White House, which wouldn’t even take place for a few months.
From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
It didn’t take the Golden State Warriors long to decide to skip the traditional championship White House visit.
Less than 24 hours after winning the 2017 NBA Finals on Monday night, the Warriors unanimously voted to decline the expected White House invitation, according to several reports including one by CNBC analyst Josh Brown.
[…]
The Golden State organization addressed the issue Tuesday, saying that “we have not received an invitation to the White House, but will make those decisions when and if necessary’ and coach Steve Kerr told ESPN that a decision had not been made.
The news comes the day after Clemson visited the White House in honor of its college football national championship win over Alabama in January.
The Warriors’ rejection of the White House’s invitation builds on the sentiment expressed by several New England Patriots who announced they would not attend the Trump White House ceremony in April. Notable Patriots who missed the April ceremony were Tom Brady— who said he would not attend for personal reasons— Legarrette Blount, Martellus Bennett and Danny Amendola.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tweeted on Tuesday she would be honored to have the Warriors come to the White House and be honored for their NBA title. Pelosi whose district includes the San Francisco Bay Area.
Veteran forward David West, who has been outspoken in his disapproval of President Donald Trump, told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears that he ‘probably’ will decline the opportunity.
“I don’t know. I probably won’t,” West said.
The Warriors attended the White House ceremony to honor their 2015 NBA Finals win over the Cleveland Cavaliers when former President Barack Obama was in the White House.
Warriors’ star point guard Steph Curry told Yahoo! Sports:
“Somebody asked me about it a couple months ago, a hypothetical, if a championship were to happen, what would I do…I answered I wouldn’t go. I still feel that way today…I’m sure as a team we’re gonna have a conversation…This is a moment we all need to enjoy together and nothing should distract from what we were able to accomplish together. And the different kind of ceremonies and traditions that have happened around championship-winning teams, we don’t want that to taint what we’ve accomplished this year…We’ll handle that accordingly and responsibly, and do the right thing for us individually and as a group.”
The left’s Trump hysteria has turned everything into a political tug-of-war. Instead of focusing on their amazing accomplishment, the Warriors are put in the strange position of being forced to make a political statement.
What if a lone player wanted to go? Would he go by himself? Would he be bullied into going along with the masses?
These are questions members of the Warriors shouldn’t have to ask, but they do. And if any player does go, they risk hurting their “brand.”
It’s a conundrum. Steve Kerr has been very vocal in his criticism of Trump. It seems unlikely he would then be seen photographed with the president.
That said, if Trump can meet with brutal Filipino strongman Rodrigo Duterte, Steve Kerr and his team can suck it up and smile with the democratically elected President of the United States.