The Golden State Warriors Pass The White House To Visit African American Museum

For much of modern American sports history, champions have visited The White House and met with the President of the United States. Following their 2016-2017 NBA championship season, the Golden State Warriors refrained from a trip inside the White House gates. In September, that decision prompted some public outcry from Donald Trump, who rescinded the “invitation” following hesitation from team leader Steph Curry.

The Warriors have not wavered. The team is in the nation’s capital this week. However, while in the District of Columbia ahead of a game, Steph Curry and his squad made an important visit anyway. Instead of the White House, the team making its first stop in D.C. during the 2017-2018 season visited the National Museum Of African American History & Culture yesterday (February 27). Moreover, the champion players and their coach Steve Kerr brought a host of local children with them on the reflective Smithsonian arts and culture trip—including many from Kevin Durant’s hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland.

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Klay Thompson reflected on the contrast of visiting the two landmarks to The New York Post, “The White House is a great honor, but there are some other circumstances that we felt uncomfortable going…We’re not going to politicize anything. We’re going to hang out with some kids, and take them to the African American Museum, and hopefully teach them some things we learned along the way.” In an Instagram story, Curry said, “We’re here checking out our history and culture.” Durant told The Washington Post, “To be honest, we didn’t even think about the championship.”

Some video from Curry’s IG:

The Warriors did visit the White House following their 2015 championship, with President Barack Obama in office. The team plays the Washington Wizards tonight (February 28).

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Notably, Donald Trump has not hosted an NBA championship team since taking office. The previous champs, the 2015-2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, met with the President two days after Trump’s 2016 election victory, but prior to the 2017 inauguration.