Steve Kerr defends Warriors’ decision not to attend protest in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO — Asked pregame Saturday night about the Warriors’ decision not to join a rally protesting the police killing of an unarmed black man, head coach Steve Kerr passionately defended how his team has handled its role as a leader in matters of public discourse.

"I’m very confident and comfortable in my own skin," Kerr said. "And (our players), what they do for our communities, the way they speak out, the way I’ve spoken out. I feel very, very confident in what we’ve tried to do and I’m also very, very serious about my job."

Kerr told players Saturday morning that they were welcome to accompany former Golden State teammate Matt Barnes at a noon protest at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento. However, they decided individually to focus on game preparations. The Warriors had an 11 a.m. shoot-around ahead of a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Kings.

During Kerr’s pregame media session, a reporter asked: "You don’t think there’s a contradiction there when you talk a lot about race or an issue like that, but then there’s a march and somebody gets killed and you don’t actually show up?"

"You serious?" Kerr said.

After the reporter confirmed that he was serious, Kerr reiterated that "it’s up to each individual if he is going to pick his spots to make his contribution to society. … So, you can balance that whichever way you want. You can be accusatory if you like. I’m comfortable with what our team does and what I do."

Minutes later, when the same reporter asked Kevin Durant why he didn’t join Barnes at the noon protest, Durant said: "I didn’t go today because we had a game."

Within the past year, members of the Golden State organization have received national attention for their comments on gun violence, medical marijuana, NFL player protests during the national anthem, police brutality and President Trump. In recent days, as protests swelled in the streets of Sacramento, Kerr and several Warriors players voiced support for the family of Stephon Clark, who was fatally shot by two Sacramento police officers on March 18.

The police officers who killed Clark reportedly believed he had a gun, but an investigation revealed Clark had only a cell phone in his hand when he was shot in his grandmother’s backyard.

“As long as this country continues to deny justice to people and its own citizens, people have to understand the type of impact that is having globally on this nation’s ability to be in a position of leadership,” Golden State center David West told reporters after shoot-around Saturday. “... Other nations are literally using the injustices in our country to make sure that America no longer has influence in their country.”