Adam Silver Discusses Donald Trump, Race and Social Justice
Ever since President-elect Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in November's general election, buzz has circulated regarding potential boycotts of the White House by NBA players.
Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins reported one member of the Cleveland Cavaliers speculated the defending champions "may be the last NBA team to do that for a while" before they visited President Barack Obama on Nov. 10, and Cavs swingman Iman Shumpert told Complex's Karizza Sanchez he will not return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue if his team repeats in June.
But in a recent conversation with The Undefeated's Mike Wise, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explained he'd like to see players rethink their opposition and view a trip to the Trump White House as a chance to engender change if they reside on a different segment of the political spectrum:
"To me, if a player were to choose not to go to the White House, whether they were choosing not to go to the current White House or a future White House, my response would be: 'That's a lost opportunity. Because that's an opportunity that most citizens who have a political point of view would kill for — the opportunity to directly tell the president of the United States how they feel about an issue.
Now, if the president were to say, 'I have no interest in what members of the NBA think about an issue,' that might surprise me and I might have a different response.
The institution is bigger than any one man, whether that man be President Obama or President Trump. Ultimately players have to make their own decisions. But if they were seeking my counsel, my counsel would be that they should go to the White House if offered the opportunity.
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Silver's extensive conversation with Wise also touched on race and how he approaches issues related to social injustice.
"I do feel a particular obligation to focus on the African-American community in that we have a league that is roughly 75 percent African-American," Silver said. "And I feel part of the obligation comes from the history of this league that I've inherited."
When discussing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protesting during the national anthem and the issues that sparked it, Silver disclosed the league and National Basketball Players Association joined forces and embraced a proactive dialogue, per Wise:
"What we did in [the Kaepernick] case—the players association together with the league—was to speak directly to our players about those issues and deal with issues we felt we can have a direct impact on. And that meant putting together forums—many, by the way, that had begun before any protest occurred in the NFL.
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Silver added that while it's his "hope" that players will continue to respect the league's policy on standing for "The Star-Spangled Banner," he understands players are entitled to exercise their First Amendment rights.
In October, Bleacher Report's Howard Beck and Jonathan Abrams reported NBA players were "eschewing silent protest." Instead, Beck and Abrams reported players from around the league viewed discussions with community leaders, law enforcement and the like as a way to facilitate change.
