Victor Oladipo Comments on NBA Players Possibly Kneeling During National Anthem
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo isn't saying whether he plans to follow in San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's footsteps, but he told Russ Bengtson of Complex on Wednesday that he believes the NFL signal-caller's protests will carry over to the NBA:
"Oh, no question. I truly believe it will. Because at the end of the day it’s a sport, and people are gonna be looking at some guys in the NBA to see what they’re gonna do as well. At the end of the day you just control what you can control, so your opinion is your opinion, that’s the beauty of the United States, so, do whatever you feel is best that will help you do whatever you believe.
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Oladipo, who was not asked whether he plans to protest in the interview transcript, indicated he has not spoken with teammates regarding their plans:
"Not yet, but a few people just in general I’ve had conversations with about that, I tell ‘em the same thing, people’s beliefs are people’s beliefs, you know what I mean, you can only control so much, you can only control what you can control, and the most things you can control is yourself. So whatever you believe, believe in to the utmost. But I think definitely, we’ll see a few guys in the NBA doing the same thing.
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Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the national anthem has elicited polarized opinions across the nation, with some joining him in protest and others criticizing it while calling it disrespectful. While consistently maintaining he means no disrespect to members of the military, Kaepernick said his protest is aimed at discrimination against people of color in the United States.
He has been joined by players across the NFL, along with U.S. women's national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe and a number of lesser-known athletes.
The NBA and NHL have been in their offseason during the controversy, so they have mostly stayed out of the spotlight.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry said he supports Kaepernick but will likely continue to stand during the anthem, per the Guardian:
"I’ll most likely stand. If you follow the way he [Kaepernick] talks and the message he’s trying to send with his act, from his mouth, he’s not disrespecting veterans. He’s not disrespecting military. That’s not his intention. He’s obviously continued the act to create a conversation for more social justice and things of that nature.
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Oladipo is heading into his fourth NBA season, his first with the Thunder, who acquired him in a trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic. The former Indiana Hoosiers star averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season.
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