The Golden State Warriors faced an ugly decision upon winning their most recent NBA championship. Would a team this largely opposed to the government of President Donald Trump attend the customary White House visit, or will they be the first team to publicly pass on the opportunity?
Despite the dilly-dallying that followed their immediate championship celebration, Stephen Curry wasted no time upon his arrival to training camp, laying the truth out, even if he knew the avalanche of consequences that were headed his way, the praise, and criticism that would stem from his answers.
“I don't want to go,” he said during his media availability day in September. “That's really it… It's not just me going to the White House. If it was, it would be a pretty short conversation.”
Curry's meeting with the team echoed the same response, but Trump would withdraw (a never-extended) offer to visit, to avoid the ridicule.
Over the following months, Curry and former President Barack Obama discussed options of what the Warriors could do during their time at the nation's capital, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.
“Curry and Obama have occasional text exchanges that can range from small talk to sports to worldview matters,” wrote Haynes. “Briefly discussed was the possibility of the team visiting Obama, but that was quickly dismissed as both agreed it would only open up the floodgates for individuals to spout off about so-called political leanings.”
Ultimately, instead of celebrating their championship in the White House, the Warriors decided a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. was in order, with local students from Durant's hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland to attend along with them.
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