The doing is always more impactful than the saying, and definitely more dynamic than staged posing.
By choosing to spend their off day Tuesday with underprivileged children in the Washington D.C. area, accompanying them to the National Museum of African-American History, the Warriors are making a humble statement no human with a conscience can loath.
It’s an enlightening moment for anyone inclined to be enlightened, and that includes all championship teams that traditionally visit the White House.
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Though hyperactive bots on the far right may label the Warriors as unpatriotic for declining an opportunity to spend a few hours in the company of President Donald Trump, the fact is neither party really wants that.
Once Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant publicly opted out of a possible trip to the White House to celebrate the team’s 2017 championship, Trump responded by withdrawing the invitation that had not been sent.
[LISTEN: The Warriors Insider Podcast with Steve Kerr]
By avoiding the herculean effort that would have been required to pretend to be comfortable in the same room, posing for photos neither they nor the president actually want, the Warriors are doing everyone a favor.
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The Warriors made a conscious effort to remove politics from the equation. They could have visited with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) but declined. They also declined an invitation from Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser. Nobody is being put in a compromising position.
“The White House is a great honor but there's extenuating circumstances that we felt that we're not comfortable doing,” Klay Thompson told reporters in New York Monday night. “We're not going to politicize anything. We're just going to hang out with some kids, take them to an African-American museum and hopefully teach them things we learned along the way and life lessons. And we'll still be getting some great memories.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he left the decision up to the players.
“It's their championship. They got disinvited to the White House, so it's up to them what they wanted to do. So they made their plans," Kerr said last week. "I want the players to have a good day and to do something positive and to enjoy what they're doing.”
The players had done their part to conceal their intentions. They kept it low-key, which was the right approach.
This is about more than simply choosing children over Trump, though.
This is about showing leadership is more important that tradition. It’s an exemplar of inclusivity being more helpful than divisiveness. It’s a spirited effort to leave an imprint that could last a lifetime.
This is about showing kindness to a group of young people who these days, more than ever, wonder how much America cares.
This is about the team representing a league that by most metrics is the most popular in the country saying no to a polarizing president supported by white supremacists and yes to a group of children who live with images by explicit and implicit of their unworthiness.
“Hanging out with the kids is going to be pretty cool,” said Durant, who grew up in the D.C. area. “I’m looking forward to that. To celebrate our championship with kids, especially from neighborhoods I grew up in, it’s going to be pretty amazing.
“I just want them to take it in. Just take it in. I want them to meet Steph and Klay . . . kids from my area don’t really get that opportunity to be in front of champions like that. Hopefully, it inspires them to be whatever they want to be in life.”