Kevin Durant made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of visiting of Donald Trump at the White House.
“Nah, I won’t do that,” Durant told ESPN’s Chris Haynes. “I don’t respect who’s in office right now.“
The 2017 NBA Finals MVP also emphasized that this wasn’t an official stance made by organization, but he knows that many are in his corner when it comes to this. “That’s just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they’ll all agree with me,” Durant said.
As Haynes notes, there has not been a formal invitation sent to the Warriors, but it has been an annual tradition for championship teams in professional and college sports to celebrate their accomplishments with the president.
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KD has been one of a few Warriors players who have been vocal about how they feel about Trump and his policies. Steph Curry previously called him an “ass” in February after Under Armour CEO Kevin Planke said Trump could be an asset for businesses. David West and Andre Iguodala have also been critical of Trump in the past.
The Warriors star emphasized that the growing racial and societal tensions has worsened because of his presidency. “He’s definitely driving it,” Durant said. “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 also called Trump’s reaction to the Charlottesville Neo-Nazi attack as “unfathomable.”
Durant’s strong statements echoes some of the statements made by a number of New England Patriots players earlier in the year. As Trump’s rhetoric gets more divisive, championship athletes protesting him and his White House is something people have to get used to.
