Following his surprising election to the highest office the United States offers, president elect Donald Trump has continued to remain a divisive figure in this nation.
It’s also spilled over to the sports world where many professional athletes have taken shots at the soon-to-be president. This has led some to believe that there will be a changed dynamic between the sports world and the White House once Trump is inaugurated in January.
Among the questions here is whether the teams that win their league’s title will continue the tradition of meeting with the president at the White House.
Don’t expect Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert to be one of those individuals showing up to D.C. to be honored by President Trump. Shumpert went off on a bit of a rant regarding the divisive figure recently.
“I’m not going to the White House. “I can’t get caught up in the racial, sexist bulls— he’s got going on, Shumpert said, via Karizza Sanchez of Complex. “That’s his personal thing, ya dig? But I just don’t think he can make anything shake like that. He not finna start no civil war out here.”
Athletes making political statements isn’t anything new. We’ve seen San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick lead a protest movement over the past several months. Whether this type of sentiment becomes mainstream remains to be seen, but Shumpert did not hold back in his criticism of the president elect.
“I do think he’s crazy – straight up. I think he did that stuff to get people to think he’s willing to shake it up. But did I vote for him? No. The other stuff that comes with him, I can’t get with,” Shumpert continued. “But now that he’s here, I’m not finna drag my feet. I gotta work here, at least until the offseason, if I wanna go get a crib in the Islands.”
Shumpert did join the Cavaliers to meet with President Obama earlier in November, so it’s not that he has an issue with the overall landscape of those tasked with leading this nation. Instead, it seems to be an issue directed at Trump himself.
Cleveland currently boasts the best record in the Eastern Confernce at 13-3 and is the odds-on favorites to earn a trip to the NBA Finals. It’s in this that Shumpert’s stance will be interesting to watch moving forward on the season.
Remember, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also spoke out against Trump, as did San Antonio Spurs head man Gregg Popovich.