Coach Steve Kerr and Team USA are in Abu Dhabi for two showcase games before the Paris Olympics.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — News can reach home even when you are not at home, when you are half a world away and thus asleep.
As it was, in the early hours here, Steve Kerr heard from family members about the attempted murder for former President Donald Trump and the coach of Team USA he had only one thought:
“Such a depressing day for our country.”
Kerr added: “A terrible, sad sight […] Another example of not only our political division, but also our gun culture.”
This was recorded in Kerr, unfortunately, because of his family history and tragedy. It is well documented how Malcolm Kerr, while serving as president of the American University of Beirut, was shot by gunmen in 1984.
His son Malcolm has been a standard-bearer for gun control ever since, using his voice to raise the issue among politicians and speaking out whenever there are mass shootings, the frequency of which has almost made him hoarse.
Kerr and the US men’s basketball team are in Abu Dhabi for two showcase games against Serbia and Australia as Team USA continues its build-up to the Paris Olympics. Kerr mentioned how the group’s visibility and ambassadorship suddenly increases in this situation.
“I feel very proud to represent our country, wearing the USA on our chest,” he said. “We talk to the players about how important it is to show the best version of ourselves, as human beings, to represent our country with respect and dignity.
“It makes you want to do it even more. What we do is very trivial, we play basketball. But we want to put our best foot out there, try to give people a taste of what our country can be.”
That was echoed by Steph Curry, who said, “We’re going to use it as a unifying moment. To use this platform and opportunity to represent ourselves, our families, our country to the best of our ability, and hopefully it channels the right energy back home.
“It is very sad, all the talk around the elections, the state of politics in our country, to have such a situation. It evokes a lot of emotion about things that we as a people need to fix, obviously gun control first and foremost.”
Kerr said the loss of life to gun violence, once again, causes unnecessary pain.
“You can only imagine what their family and friends are feeling today. Thank God Trump wasn’t killed. It’s just discouraging in every way.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for over 25 years. You can send him an e-mail herefind its file here and follow him to X.
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