Making a courtesy call to the White House and meeting the sitting president of the United States has been an on-going tradition for champions of the four major sports. And as the defending champions of the NBA, it’s the Golden State Warriors’ turn to make the trip this year.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, though, the Warriors still have to meet and decide as a team if they will accept an invitation from the White House if one is extended.
The Warriors, who beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to win the title, have not yet been invited to visit the White House, nor has the organization decided whether it would accept an invitation if it were offered, sources said. However, the NBA has stayed in close enough communication with the White House on the matter, and it is believed an invitation would be extended if the team decided as a group to attend.
Several members of the Warriors team have publicly expressed their displeasure with the current administration. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry and Finals MVP Kevin Durant have previously gone on record as saying they would not visit the White House because of Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, head coach Steve Kerr has also been critical of Trump in the past, but he did urge the team shortly after the Finals to accept the White House invitation as a gesture of goodwill.
The team declining an invitation to visit the White House would certainly send a strong message — perhaps the strongest yet in this age of sports figures engaging in activism. And with all the known detractors of the administration on the Warriors, it could very well be a possibility.
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