Steve Kerr officially met with the media for the first time in 2016-17 Wednesday in Oakland. And while basketball was discussed, social issues came to the forefront again in the Bay Area.
Kerr said he will address the Warriors about Colin Kaepernick’s protest and the intelligent conversations it’s spawned. But after mentioning the Tulsa police shooting and death of Terence Crutcher, Kerr spoke out against gun violence.
“Doesn’t matter what side you’re on with the Kaepernick stuff, you better be disgusted with the things that are happening,” Kerr said. “I understand people who are offended by his stance, maybe they have a military family member, or maybe they lost somebody in a war, and maybe that anthem means a lot more to them than somebody else.
“But then you flip it around and what about non-violent protests? That’s America. This is what our country is about. It’s a non-violent protest. It’s what it should be.
“So I think Colin has really clarified his message over the last couple of weeks. I would think that something similar will happen in the NBA. And as I said, nobody has to be right, nobody has to be wrong. I would hope everyone respects each other’s points of view.
“I think Colin, when he met with Nate Boyer, decided to kneel instead of sit, acknowledged his respect for the military and really clarified his message that this is about unarmed black people being killed indiscriminately around the country and it just happened two days ago. That’s the message. That’s what matters.”
Bob Myers, President of Basketball Operations, will meet with the media on Thursday.
