Why the Warriors didn’t visit the White House

While in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors did not attend the customary White House visit, as has been tradition over the past decades. Instead, they spent a day with local children at an African-American history museum.

The event was not open to the public or media, but Shaun Livingston did share a photo of the team outside the museum.

“The White House is a great honor, but there’s extenuating circumstances that we felt that we’re not comfortable doing,” Klay Thompson told reporters. “We’re not going to politicize anything, we’re just going to hang out with some kids, take them to an African-American museum and hopefully teach them things we learned along the way and life lessons, and we’ll still be getting some great memories.”

The White House visit typically occurs when teams visit D.C. to play the Washington Wizards. After their first championship in 2015, they met with President Barack Obama, but things have changed.

“It’s kind of beating a dead horse at this point,” Curry said. “We’re excited to have an opportunity that we’re going to tomorrow as a team, but other than that it’s a business trip and we’re excited to keep the road trip going. So that’s really all it’s about.”

After winning the 2017 NBA Finals, the first one with President Donald Trump in office, several Warriors said in the aftermath they would not visit if they were invited, including Stephen Curry. Before the team could come to a joint decision on their visit, Trump tweeted the following:

The Warriors then released the following statement saying they had planned to decide as a team before Trump’s tweet.

Steph Curry also doubled on following Trump’s tweet.

“It’s kind of funny that [the president’s] tweet was sent out before we had a chance to get together as a team. It is what it is. My stance is the same [as] yesterday. I’m trying to cement that even further.”

This is what led to LeBron James’ now-legendary tweet where he called Trump a “bum,” noting Trump couldn’t disinvite Curry from something he didn’t plan on attending anyway.

Durant grew up in Suitland, Maryland, just outside D.C., and the children the Warriors brought to the museum visit came from his elementary school.

“Kids from my area don’t really get that opportunity to be in front of champions like that,” Durant said. “So hopefully it inspires them to just be whatever they want to be in life.”

The team’s planned visit was to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

“Hanging out with the kids tomorrow is going to be pretty cool as well. Celebrate our championship with kids, especially in the neighborhood I grew up in. It’s going to be pretty amazing,” Durant told The Mercury News earlier in the week. “I just want them to take it in. I want them to meet Steph and Klay. ... Hopefully we set a good example. I know we set an example every time we walk on that court and every time we walk around. It’s going to be cool to be up close and personal.”