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The Golden State Warriors plan to meet as a team this fall to decide whether to make a visit to the White House to celebrate their 2017 NBA championship. Head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, "We will meet as a team to discuss it and make a decision."
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The Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to win their second championship in three seasons. The team has 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 told ESPN.
Several members of the team, including stars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, have criticized President Donald Trump's actions during the campaign and in office. The Warriors visited President Barack Obama in early 2016 after winning the 2015 Finals.
The NBA has stayed in 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, according to ESPN. The league office acts as a liaison with the White House to help schedule the visit.
Kerr confirmed that an invitation has not been extended by the Trump administration. He said he had several conversations with Durant, Curry and other team leaders about the situation throughout the summer.
"I've talked to a couple of them about it," Kerr told ESPN. "There are a lot of different dynamics to this and different viewpoints. We've got players from all over the world and all over the country, and they're going to have different perspectives, so I think it's important for us all to get in a room and hash it out and decide what we want to do.
"The league isn't going to tell us what to do. They know it's our decision and that, for me, really, it's the players' decision. I will put my two cents in, but the players, they're the ones who won the championship, they're the ones who did all the work, and they're the ones who will be very responsible for everything that we do. As a staff, we try to guide them on the floor. But in the end, to me, it's all about the players. Everything we do is about the players."
Durant, the Finals MVP, said last month he does not want to celebrate the team's title at the White House with Trump.
"Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now. I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that. That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."
Since taking office in January, Trump has hosted the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and members of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs to honor their titles.
