Warriors Planning Panel Discussion for Players to Talk About Social Issues

A day after Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters he will support players' decisions to speak out against social injustice, general manager Bob Myers said the team has discussed forming a panel to help educate players about the issues at hand.

On Thursday, the Mercury News' Anthony Slater relayed Myers' full quote on the possibility of having the team sit down with community leaders: 

On Wednesday, Kerr told assembled media in the San Francisco Bay Area that he's had an open dialogue with the players regarding non-violent protests.

“What do you think?” Kerr said he asked the team, according to Slater. "'What do you feel?' That’s kind of the way we do things around here. We like to talk about stuff, basketball or not."

Kerr emphasized that he believes San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest has helped spark a necessary conversation.

"One of the best things that’s come out of the Kaepernick issue is that people are talking, and that’s a good thing," he said, per Slater. "No matter what side of the spectrum you’re on, I would hope every American is disgusted with what’s going on in the country, what just happened in Tulsa two days ago with Terence Crutcher." 

Several NBA players—including Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook—have joined the conversation on social media since Crutcher was shot and killed by a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday.