Shortly after being asked Monday about the most critical issue related to his basketball team, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked about the most critical issue facing America.
Kerr spent nine seconds informing reporters in Washington DC that superstar point guard Stephen Curry, who missed the previous three games with an ankle sprain, was available and would be in the starting lineup.
Kerr then spent about six minutes addressing matters related to Election Day, which arrives Tuesday and conceivably is the most consequential in the nation’s history. The basketball coach put on his activist cap and pounced on the issue.
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“I'm voting because I know whichever side wins, I'm going to respect the election integrity,” Kerr said. “I'm going to respect the fact that we've got tens of thousands of people out there working the polls who are getting harassed because of all the lies from Fox News from Donald Trump. From their cohorts. And it's a direct assault on democracy.
“So, get out and vote tomorrow. Pick who you want to vote for. But understand that these elections are legitimate. They're real. It's never been an issue, ever, in my lifetime, not a single instance of anybody even thinking that the elections weren't legitimate until the convicted felon who's running for office again decided to conjure up all this stuff to put fear in the air, which is a direct threat to our system and our democracy.”
Kerr, 59, is not new to political discussion. He comes by it naturally, as his parents were educators. His father, Prof. Malcolm Kerr, was assassinated in 1984 while serving as the president of the American University of Beirut. The primary focus of Steve Kerr’s political activism is his gun-violence prevention.
Clearly affected by the urgency and anxiety of the moment, Kerr, who was among the featured speakers at the Democratic National Convention in August, elaborated on his support of Vice President Kamala Harris.
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“In order for our democracy to thrive, not only do we citizens have to take part, but we also have to trust that these elections are not tainted -- which they aren't,” Kerr said. “Fox News had to pay almost a billion dollars [$787 million] to the Dominion Voting [Systems], the machines that count the votes, because they lied on the air about the efficacy of these machines.
“There's been all these lies that have been spread over the last eight years about election integrity. People have been fooled into thinking there's irregularities. The most important part of the democracy is for people to trust the election system, so I would urge everybody to vote. Pick your reason to vote. I vote on issues like gun-violence prevention, which is very important to me. Abortion rights for women. So, not that it's any surprise, I’m voting for Harris.”
Most polls indicate the race between Harris and former President Trump will be close, with many of the fissures falling along such demographic lines as race, gender and age. Furthermore, some Americans on the political right continue to express concerns about the voting process, despite a lack of historical evidence. That leaves Kerr and many Americans concerned about possible backlash based on the outcome.
Wearing a white sweatshirt with the word “VOTE” -- as are all NBA coaches in the days leading up to the election -- Kerr stressed that voting should be a priority, no matter one’s politics.
“Tomorrow is a big day, and we've been talking about it a lot, just being here and our nation's capital,” Kerr said. “There's a reason we're wearing these shirts; it's not just an NBA-mandated thing. We believe in our democracy, and we believe in voting. We want to encourage everybody to get out and vote.
“And honestly, regardless of who you're going to vote for, get out and vote. I think the biggest thing that will come out of tomorrow will be election integrity.”
Kerr mentioned the issue has been discussed among the Warriors, but there are no plans for the team to do anything on Tuesday other than monitor the results. They face the Celtics on Wednesday night in Boston.