OAKLAND — If you want to know why Colin Kaepernick’s protest matters, drive the 4.7 miles across the Bay Bridge to the Golden State Warriors facility.
While they chase a championship with Kevin Durant, the Warriors are fully intending to pick up the torch Kaepernick’s ignited on America’s violence problem, specifically police brutality.
President of Basketball Operation Bob Myers met with the media on Thursday and said the team will consider altering practice time to meet with members of the community to try and bridge the racial inequality gap plaguing some American cities.
If Kaepernick hadn’t drawn attention to these issues through kneeling during the national anthem, none of this positive, problem-solving, nationwide dialogue would have transpired.
“What’s happening out in society, that’s not good,” Myers said. “It’s much more important than dribbling a basketball and making shots. And what we’re going to try and do as an organization is to take some opportunities to continue to have these conversations.”
Myers and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr have held meetings in their perched offices specifically focused on how the Warriors can move the conversation forward. The first step the Warriors are going to take, according to Myers, is to get educated on the issues.
The Warriors want to bring in a diverse panel of civic leaders who have experience bettering communities, even selecting a mediator to host the discussion. And, yes, the Warriors would even cut into their practice time to accommodate such an event.
“If one day Steve walked in and said, ‘We’re not practicing today. We’re actually going to meet with these four people.’ That’s much more important. And the players, we feel like, would carry that with them. And our players are in a unique position to have a voice. How they choose to use it and educating them on how to use it, we think it’s something we can provide, or help provide.”
After they’ve absorbed the information, the Warriors want to dive in.
Internal discussions amongst the players have been vibrant on the subject, according to Kerr. Myers said the Warriors have players who want to take the next step in taking Kaepernick’s message forward. Those players will likely be led by Draymond Green, who’s by far the team’s most active member serving the Northern California community. Green has a distinguished voice would and his perspective plus leadership would add another layer to the discourse. Other teammates would follow.
“They want to do things to help,” Myers said, “they are just trying to figure out what they are.”
Unlike the NFL, the NBA does have a rule that mandates players to stand for the national anthem. Kerr insinuated he expects some players around the league to participate in national anthem protests. The NBA league office sent a memo encouraging teams to work the Players Union to support their guys. Myers is hopeful there is some common ground the NBA can find to speak as one voice, unifying the message further.
Andre Iguodala gave Myers a copy of the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The powerful book describes a racist violence that has been woven into American culture. The book struck a chord with Myers. Now, on top of the NBA’s biggest stage, it’s he and the Warriors’ job to strike a chord with more people.
“I thought because I was around basketball, and it’s a pretty diverse culture that we’re in, I thought I had an understanding of some of the issues these guys were referring to,” Myers said. “I realized how little I do know… It’s very good that there’s been a heightened awareness.”
Kaepernick started the conversation, and the Warriors have every intent of pushing it forward.