On Wednesday, the nation watched as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were inaugurated in Washington D.C. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers expressed how he felt on this momentous day, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Doc Rivers said he's known Vice President Harris for "8 or 9 years" and said that he's had a chance to talk to her and text her a couple of times since she was elected. Said today was an emotional day for him, and said it felt good to say she and President Biden were Pres./VP.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 20, 2021
Rivers was never one to hold back what he had to say on matters of racial injustice and police brutality. When the Black Lives Matter movement was gaining traction last season, an emotional Rivers would always address the media and express his concerns about how black individuals are perceived in this country. This particular statement was given by the Sixers coach after the shooting of Jacob Blake, via Sky Sports NBA:
“We are the ones getting killed. We are the ones getting shot. We are the ones denied [the right] to live in certain communities. We have been hung. We have been shot. And all you do is keep hearing about fear,” said Rivers, who was with the Clippers at the time before the Sixers snagged him in the past offseason.
“It's amazing to me why we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back. It's really so sad. I should just be a coach. I am so often reminded of my colour and it's just really sad. We have got to do better. But we have to demand better.”
With President Biden and Vice President Harris in office, Doc Rivers believe the citizens of the nation can take the necessary steps to heal and move forward. The Sixers tactician emphasized “fear” in the said interview in August of last year, and now he–along with the black individuals of this country–feel that change will come.
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