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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors won their fourth title in eight seasons this year. Curry was unstoppable during the Finals series against the Boston Celtics and grabbed the Finals MVP this time around. It would be safe to say that without Curry and coach Steve Kerr, there would have been no Golden State dynasty to speak of. Along with this year’s title, the Warriors won in 2015, 2o17, and 2018.

There is a tradition where the title-winning teams visit the White House after all the celebrations. Many famous teams have visited the Oval Office as a part of this tradition and have met the President. But from 2017 to 2021, NBA teams unofficially boycotted the White House.

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The main reason was Donald Trump being the president of the United States. His rhetoric divided people before he became President and during it, as well. The Golden State players were very conscious of that.

Hence, they rescinded Trump’s invitation. Coach Steve Kerr revealed that during this time, he got asked political questions by the press all the time. The coach was on comedian Jon Stewart’s podcast. “It was probably my low point as a coach in terms of my response,” said Kerr, “I was kind of ashamed of my response”. Jon Stewart was surprised.”

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Kerr replied, “Because I didn’t take a stand and so people rightfully criticized me. President Trump criticized me in his statement the next day.”

Donald Trump was incensed by the Warriors several times

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Donald Trump criticized Kerr due to his response to NBA’s links with China. According to the former President, Kerr couldn’t answer the question properly and yet will talk badly about the United States. He thought that Kerr and Greg Popovich were ‘pandering’ to China by criticizing him.

It was not the first time Trump got incensed by someone from the Warriors. He once called out Curry because he rescinded his invitation. LeBron James and coach Steve Kerr backed the point guard. James called him a “bum” while Kerr gave a more eloquent response.

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Trump’s partisanship had even seeped into sports. But people like Kerr, Curry, and LeBron stood firm on their beliefs and didn’t budge from their positions despite getting hate from right-wingers.