Warriors head coach Steve Kerr endorsed vice president Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday.
“I know very well that speaking out about politics these days comes with risk,” Kerr said. “I can see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets being fired out as we speak. But I also knew as soon as I was asked that it was too important as an American citizen not to speak up in an election of this magnitude.”
Kerr has been a vocal activist for gun safety legislation and other social issues and causes. He has been publicly critical of former president Donald Trump and endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 general election.
Although addressing a stadium of politicos is new territory for the head coach, the United Center was a familiar setting. As Kerr took the podium, highlights of his game-winning shot in the same arena from Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals showed on big screens.
“It’s so fun to be back here at the United Center,” Kerr began. “As you all know, a lot of good stuff has happened in this building — especially in the 90’s. You young people, Google ‘Michael Jordan’ and you can read all about it.”
A few days after the Olympics, Kerr said, he got invited to speak at the DNC. He explained that as a husband, son, father and American citizen, he couldn’t decline the opportunity to make his voice heard.
Although there has, and always will be, backlash when sports figures speak about politics — as Kerr alluded to — sports and politics are constantly intertwined. At the Republican National Convention earlier this summer, former wrestler Hulk Hogan and UFC CEO Dana White each spoke. Former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker lost his Senate race in 2022 and former Dodger Steve Garvey is running for a Senate seat in California currently.
Kerr took the podium less than 10 minutes after Harris made initial remarks; the Oakland native is scheduled to give a full speech Thursday night. Harris, the Democratic nominee, is the former San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General and United States Senator.
Kerr’s DNC speech mainly focused on uniting themes based on his experience coaching Team USA to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month. He spoke about coming together to form a more perfect union, not divided by party line, but as teammates.
He did so while making himself very clear about which candidate in the 2024 presidential election represents that value.
“I believe leaders must display dignity,” Kerr said. “I believe leaders should tell the truth. I believe leaders must care for and love for the people they’re leading. I believe leaders must possess knowledge and expertise, but with full awareness that none of us has all the answers. And if you look for those qualities in your friends or your boss or an employee or your child’s teacher or your mayor, shouldn’t you want those same qualities in your president? And when you think about it that way, this is no contest.”
The NBA doesn’t hold games on election day, which falls this year on Nov. 5. Until then, Kerr committed to help people get out to vote for Harris and Walz.
“And, after the results are tallied that night, we can tell Donald Trump, in the words of the great Steph Curry, ‘Night-Night.’”
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