© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND — Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s social awareness and candor on America’s most divisive issues have endeared him to many. On Friday evening, fewer than two hours before the Warriors played the visiting Atlanta Hawks, Kerr touched on Thursday night’s protests in Sacramento.
Hundreds of protestors clogged Interstate 5 and blocked most entrances to Golden 1 Center, where the Kings hosted the Hawks. The scene came in response to Sunday’s fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, in which two police officers fired 20 rounds at Clark, who was holding a cellphone in the backyard of his grandparents’ home.
As a result of the congestion outside the arena, the attendance was unusually low, with hundreds of scattered fans occupying the lower bowl.
“It was a bizarre scene,” Kerr said about the crowd. “More than anything, very, very sad. The story is just awful.”
Kerr said he experienced a similar situation in 1988, his rookie season with the Phoenix Suns. They were scheduled to play in Miami, but the game was canceled due to riots outside of the stadium.
After Thursday’s game, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive addressed the situation to the small crowd inside Golden 1 Center.
“We at the Kings recognize people’s abilities to protest peacefully, and we respect that,” Ranadive said. “We here at the Kings realize that we have a big platform. It’s a privilege, but it’s also a responsibility. It’s a responsibility that we take very seriously, and we stand here before you, old, young, black, white, brown, and we are all united in our commitment.”
Nick U’Ren, a Warriors special assistant to Kerr, called Kerr on Thursday night regarding the scenes at the Kings game. Kerr turned on his television and drew inspiration from Ranadive’s words.
“I was very proud of the way the Kings handled it, the way the NBA handled it,” Kerr said. “I thought they did everything they could. I thought Vivek’s words afterwards were beautiful. The main sentiment, though, is just horror and sadness for the family involved. (There is) not much else to say.”