NBA star Kevin Durant, the 2017 Finals MVP of the Golden State Warriors, will not visit the White House if invited, accusing President Trump of racially dividing the nation.
Speaking with social justice sports network ESPN, Durant broke his political silence to announce that he would not meet with President Trump. Though the Warriors have yet to receive an invitation, tradition holds that championship teams visit the White House for an honorary meet and greet.
Both the Chicago Cubs and New England Patriots have visited the White House this year, and not all staff and players were in attendance for precisely the same reasons cited by Durant.
“I don’t agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that,” Durant said. “That’s just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they’ll all agree with me.”
Durant went on to claim that race relations were “looking up” under President Obama until Trump ruined them, blaming him for the heinous actions of white supremacists in Charlottesville.
“I feel ever since he’s got into office, or since he ran for the presidency, our country has been so divided, and it’s not a coincidence,” Durant said. “When Obama was in office, things were looking up. We had so much hope in our communities where I come from because we had a black president, and that was a first.”
Durant either does not remember or is deliberately ignoring the massive racial tension under President Obama and the role he played in it, including his refusal to condemn black nationalism and the radical elements of Black Lives Matter even after one of their compatriots murdered five police officers.
“In my opinion, until we get him out of here, we won’t see any progress,” Durant concluded.
Though Durant made clear that his views do not represent the entire Warriors franchise, they do appear to align with that of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who once called Trump a “blowhard.”