Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors won’t be celebrating their NBA championship at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.
Shortly after the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, Curry made it clear he wasn’t very interested in visiting Donald Trump at the White House. Trump evidently grew tired of Curry’s hesitancy, and rescinded the Warriors guard’s invitation via Twitter on Saturday.
Curry wasn’t the only Warriors player to express disinterest in visiting Trump, but the two-time NBA MVP was the lone member of the team to receive a personal tweet from the president. Speaking with reporters Saturday afternoon, Curry issued a strong statement directed at the POTUS.
“I don’t know why he feels the need to target certain individuals rather than others,” Curry told reporters, as transcribed by USA TODAY. “I have an idea of why, but, it’s just kind of beneath, I think, a leader of a country to go that route. It’s not what leaders do.”
Curry received an outpouring of support following Trump’s tweet, including social media messages from LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and several other athletes from around the sports world. While Trump’s comments have been polarizing, to say the least, Curry was proud to see a number of his colleagues come together.
“It was amazing to see all these guys rally around each other and speak up,” Curry said. “That’s what this is about. We’re not trying to divide and separate this country. We’re trying to bring everybody together and speak about love and togetherness and equality. I think that was demonstrated in response to what happened this morning, which is a powerful thing for sure.”
Shortly after Trump’s tweet, the Warriors officially announced they won’t be visiting the White House to celebrate their second title in the past three seasons.
Thumbnail photo via Chris Nicoll/USA TODAY Sports Images
