It might have been Golden State Warriors media day, but a certain San Francisco 49er quarterback kept coming up as a frequent topic of conversation.
The Warriors’ stars said they are in unanimous support of Colin Kapernick’s decision to kneel for the national anthem, and the conversation it’s created, but also said they will not be doing the same.
Full transcript of the comments below:
Stephen Curry:
I respect everybody’s voice, everybody’s platform, and their opportunity and right to protest what they feel in their heart is something they want to change. So I’ve said that plenty of times about Colin. I respect what he’s doing, I respect the message that he’s fighting for. I hope all the spotlight is on that particular message and the things that we can do to make changes that are blatantly obvious we need to change. So I hope going forward it’s not about who’s raising their fist, who’s kneeling, who’s standing, who’s doing this and that. It’s about what the message is and what we don’t want to stand for any more.
On if he’ll stand and whether or not he has a relationship with Kaepernick:
I plan on standing. There are ways that everybody can effect the mindset of people around them and the awareness of what’s going on without, in that moment with the National Anthem playing, kneeling. I’ve always said I respect Colin because he took a bold step in that regard to continue the conversation and make it more pointed, but I do plan on standing.
I don’t have a relationship with him. I met him once when I went to a game about three years ago, but like most people in the country, I’d like to sit down and talk to him and kind’ve understand his thought process more in detail. How he got to the decision of how he was going to go about his protest, and understanding it more fully and the ideas he may have based on who he’s talked to, based on situations he’s been in to help effect change, cause I’m sure he does have some fantastic ways of taking advantage of the moment for sure.
Draymond Green:
Obviously everybody’s been talking about the kneeling and stuff that Colin started and I respect Colin for that, because he took a stand that he knew would probably create some controversy and he didn’t care. I respect that because sometimes controversy is needed to get a point across, and he got his point across.
My question is what’s next with people taking action, because now that the conversation is started and he’s done a great job of that, everybody wants to criticize him kneeling down, or say he’s disrespecting the flag or disrespecting the military. It’s not disrespecting none of that. He’s showing people that there’s something that needs to be done and of course if you turn on the TV, Colin Kaepernick is kneeling down and disrespecting America. No he’s not, but nobody wants to face the real problem and talk about the real problem, so we’re gonna talk about what he’s doing and try to sweep what he’s really talking about under the rug. I think it’s pretty ridiculous to be quite frank.
Am I going to kneel down or put my fists up? No. I’m not. That’s no disrespecting Colin or anybody else who’s doing it. The point is out. I think they’ve gotten the point across. I don’t need to come out and do this National Anthem protest because it’s already been started. It’s already a conversation. The question is, is there going to be something done about it. I think the number one problem is the people who have a problem with what he’s doing. Because that means you’re trying to focus on what he’s doing and not focused on what he’s talking about and that’s the problem that we have as a whole anyway.
It’s messed up and there needs to be some changes made. Until then we’ll keep going at the same point. ‘Why did this guy get killed, why did that guy get killed?’ There are people’s lives out here being taken, yet somebody wants to criticize what Colin’s doing, but they won’t criticize what’s going on. I think it’s pretty ridiculous that someone can’t come up with a solution, or people can’t be penalized for their actions. I’ve been penalized for my actions and I’m okay with that. Other people not being penalized for their actions is pretty ridiculous to me.
Klay Thompson:
What Colin’s doing is amazing, because he’s backing up what he’s representing. He’s not just going out there or seeking the spotlight or doing it for attention, he’s really trying to make a change. That’s very honorable, you know? There are a lot of guys out there who might just do it because a lot of people are doing it, but Colin’s actually out there. He’s really trying to make a change. To use his platform to better our society, and there’s a lot of honor in that. This is a great country but obviously there’s a lot of things are that are going on right now that are really disheartening. Colin’s really trying to make a change, so it’s really inspirational not only to us athletes, but the younger generation and the older generation as well.
After playing with Team USA and being around the military and seeing how much we mean to them, when you’re standing for your flag I think that means a lot as well. So I’m all about a peaceful protest, I’m all about affirmative action. I’m not sure what I’m going to do but I do enjoy standing for the flag because I know there’s a lot of opportunity in this country.
Kevin Durant:
As far as Kaepernick, you know, him starting a conversation about injustice, it was the whole goal in the first place. It was a lot about, you know, how he’s doing it but the message is what he was trying to get out on the change that needs to happen in our country and I think we’re moving forward. Just having that conversation is great. It’s great for our country. It’s great to know what’s going on.