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Since the violent white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia took place two weeks ago, Karl-Anthony Towns, among other NBA players, has not been able to escape the ensnaring thoughts stemming from the aftermath of it all.
From the rage of a divided nation to a conformist answer by the leader of the free world, the Minnesota Timberwolves stud center has not been able to shake the thought away, even chatting with strangers about this event and what's to come from it.
Article Continues Below“Personally, I’ve been disappointed,” wrote Towns in a self-written piece in The Players' Tribune. “Not sad, but disappointed. I’ve even been kind of… defeated. Not hopeless — I’ve got hope. But just exhausted.”
“If you’re a minority in America, just watching the news can be exhausting. Normally, I’m an optimistic guy. What you see is what you get. But I guess these emotions can creep up on you.”
What had infuriated Towns and other stars around the league has been the lack of action from President Donald Trump, who simply denounced both sides, only to take it back and then retract on his second statement to go back to his initial one.
“I was shocked by how our President responded to Charlottesville,” wrote Towns. “Our President was given a layup: Denounce white supremacists. And he couldn’t… and wouldn’t. He missed… he missed badly.”
“I think about it like this: The President’s response, in basketball terms… was just like catching the ball on a fast break — no one else is even past half court — and then tripping on your own feet inside the paint as the ball flies out of bounds.”
Towns even had something for those who are against athletes speaking their mind, noting that the new era of sports now has athletes now using their platform to speak up about the things they believe in — platform he has taken up this offseason along with the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, and others.
“I know that some people will downplay what I’m saying because I play in the NBA. They’ll say “stick to sports” and woo-woo-woo. But I believe the culture is changing when it comes to athletes speaking out on the things that really matter.”
