Tad Queasy wrote:
Ogie Oglethorpe wrote:
It's looking quite clear that yesterday's press conference where the question was shot down was by NBA orders and not some rogue employee as the league office said.
One of the replies to that tweet contained a link to this article. It is mainly about Kerr but also mentions Curry:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/2/17/ ... on-t-speakQuote:
And he’s not going to ‘‘stick to sports’’ just because he’s a basketball coach.
‘‘If you go by that mantra, then everybody should stick to whatever they’re doing; that means nobody’s allowed to have a political opinion,’’ said Kerr, who will coach the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. ‘‘It just so happens that we get these microphones stuck in our faces, so we have a bigger platform.
‘‘But it’s free speech. And if you look at the history of the world, the biggest problems come when people don’t speak. So I think it’s important to express your views.’’
Quote:
‘‘The NBA, I think, is at the forefront of social activism as far as the major sports are concerned,’’ Kerr said. ‘‘I’m very proud of the work that Adam Silver’s doing and the league’s doing. They back up what they believe in, and I think that’s important.’’
Quote:
As Warriors star Stephen Curry showed recently, you don’t have to be an activist to take a stand. When Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank appeared to embrace Trump’s agenda, Curry was among the Under Armour athletes who protested. Plank later clarified his remarks as relating to Trump’s business policies only, using a full-page ad in the Baltimore Sun to say he is opposed to Trump’s immigration ban.
That Curry said he was more interested in promoting change than in selling shoes struck a chord with Kerr, a former teammate of Michael Jordan, who in Sam Smith’s book ‘‘Second Coming’’ avoided supporting a black U.S. Senate candidate against Jesse Helms in North Carolina because ‘‘Republicans buy shoes, too.’’
‘‘For a long time, a lot of athletes have kind of stayed out of the political forum out of fear of losing customers,’’ Kerr said. ‘‘I think it’s refreshing that we have athletes who are putting their social agenda, social beliefs, ahead of any marketing issues. I think that’s powerful.’’
Based on what has happened over the last few days, much of that now rings hollow.