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Kevin Durant to skip Warriors’ White House visit

By Joe Romano

DELHI, INDIA - JULY 28: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors hosts a Jr. NBA Clinic in Delhi National Capital Region in Delhi, India on July 28, 2017. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images)
DELHI, INDIA - JULY 28: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors hosts a Jr. NBA Clinic in Delhi National Capital Region in Delhi, India on July 28, 2017. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Kevin Durant will not be one of the Warriors heading to the nation’s capital, if an invitation is extended their way.

Kevin Durant was in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, MD, 11 miles from Washington D.C. celebrating his own personal day. ESPN was able to sit down with the former MVP and current champion.

A tradition for champions in most major sports is to visit the White House with their championship trophy. A formal invitation for the current NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors has not been extended. That does not matter to Kevin Durant. He will be choosing to sit out the visit, if the invite does occur.

Chris Haynes of ESPN shared a few quotes from Durant on the situation in the White House and why he will choose to skip the visit. At the forefront of his thoughts are the policies and actions President Donald Trump.

"“I don’t agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that,” said Durant, who said it wasn’t an organizational decision. “That’s just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they’ll all agree with me.”"

Durant also spoke about not being afraid to utilize his platform and voice to speak out for others.

"“I’m representing a lot of people. As far as what’s going on in our country, for one, as an athlete, you have to commend Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James,Carmelo Anthony, CP3 [Chris Paul] [and] Dwyane Wade for starting that conversation last year. Russell Westbrook also said something in his speech. A lot [of] guys with platforms have drove the conversation in a good direction. And what’s going on in Charlottesville, that was unfathomable.”"

Kevin Durant spoke at length about the racial tensions in this country. He pointed the finger directly at Trump for his now infamous remarks.

"“So to see that and to be where we are now, it just felt like we took a turn for the worse, man. It all comes from who is in the administration. It comes from the top. Leadership trickles down to the rest of us. So, you know, if we have someone in office that doesn’t care about all people, then we won’t go anywhere as a country. In my opinion, until we get him out of here, we won’t see any progress.”"

As of now, Durant and the Warriors have not been invited to the White House. After their championship they did give the feeling that they would unanimously skip the visit if invited.

It should be noted that he last team to visit the White House, the New England Patriots also had players skip the visit with the commander-in-chief. Those players included tight end Martellus Bennett, running back LaGarrette Blount and defensive back Devin McCourty.

Next: 30 best NBA players who never won a championship

For now Durant and the rest of the Warriors are enjoying their offseason. The team has won two of the last three championships. With Durant and fellow former MVP Stephen Curry, they have the makings of a dynasty in Golden State. There may be more White House visits to skip for this team.

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