President Donald Trump won’t have a chance to rescind the invitation to the White House for the NBA champion, the way he did for the Eagles.
At least, that’s the opinion of Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who told reporters today that neither his team nor the Golden State Warriors would be used as a prop the way the Eagles were this week.
“It’s typical of him,” James said of Trump, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I’m not surprised. It’s typical of him. I know no matter who wins this series, no one wants the invite anyway. It won’t be Golden State or Cleveland going.”
That seems particularly likely, for two reasons: 1) It’s extremely unlikely it’s going to be the Cavs because they have one good basketball player and the Warriors have many more, and 2) The Warriors have already decided to stay away once, only to have the invitation rescinded.
Warriors guard Steph Curry said he agreed with James about the likelihood of either team visiting.
“I’m pretty sure the way we handled things last year, we’ll stay consistent with that,” Curry said. “But at the end of the day, every team has the opportunity to make a decision for themselves, speak for themselves, and that’s powerful, being in this situation.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who has taken a number of shots at both Trump and the NFL, also said the drama was predictable.
“The president has made it pretty clear he’s going to try to divide us, all of us in this country, for political gain,” Kerr said, via ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. “It’s just the way it is. We all look forward to the day we can go back to just having a celebration of athletic achievement. . . .
“The irony is that the Eagles have been nothing but fantastic citizens in their own community. I’ve been reading about Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long; these guys are studs, they’re amazing. It will be nice when we can just get back to normal — in three years.”
While that part remains to be seen, the Eagles at least have the support of their fellow athletes.
