Flash forward to Jan. 17, and Kerr is again speaking passionately on gun violence—only now he’s in a suit and tie, seated at a table in the Map Room at the White House. His audience includes three top advisers to President Biden: Keisha Lance Bottoms, Julie Rodriguez and Stefanie Feldman. The 45-minute discussion also includes Warriors players Klay Thompson and Moses Moody, along with James Cadogan of the NBA’s Social Justice Coalition.
The Warriors were visiting the White House that afternoon for the same reason sports teams usually do: to celebrate their recent championship, trade a few quips with the president and vice president and pose for photos. It’s a tradition that goes back decades and it has nearly always followed the same anodyne script.
But these are different times, and these Warriors—from Kerr to Curry to Draymond Green—are a different team, one that unabashedly broadcasts its political views, on everything from gun violence to presidential politics. Indeed, they eschewed the White House visits altogether after their 2017 and ’18 championships, in a direct rebuke of then President Donald Trump.
The Raptors, who won the NBA title in 2019, also preemptively rejected the possibility of a White House visit. The Bucks, who won the title in July ’21, resumed the custom after Biden and Harris were elected the previous year. (The Lakers didn’t visit the White House following their championship in ’20 due to scheduling conflicts and COVID-19 protocols.)
But the Warriors’ recent visit marks an evolutionary shift—the scripted celebration now doubling as a policy summit. The roundtable on gun violence was conceived by White House staff and pitched to the Warriors, who eagerly accepted the invitation.
When it came time for the formal celebration, in the White House’s ornate East Room, both Biden and Harris praised the Warriors for their activism.
“Look at what this team does,” Biden said, “speaking out against racism, standing up for equality … encouraging people to vote, empowering children and their families to eat healthy, learn and play in safe places, rallying the country against gun violence.”