On Sunday, The Undefeated's Marc Spears pointed out that Golden State Warriors forward David West stood about two feet behind his teammates during the national anthem before their game against the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a quiet protest -- so quiet, in fact, that few have noticed West doing the exact same thing for years.
After the game, West told The Undefeated that, dating back to his days with the New Orleans Hornets, he has been last in line, behind the rest of the team. It just wasn't newsworthy until now, and most people failed to notice. Warriors coach Steve Kerr and forward Draymond Green both said they weren't aware of it. People might compare this to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem this season, but West clearly is not piggybacking on what Kaepernick has done.
From The Undefeated:
West says his personal stance is about issues "a lot deeper" than just the major one Kaepernick is raising.
"What about education? What about infant mortality? How about how we die younger and our babies die sooner?" power forward West told The Undefeated after the Warriors' 97-93 preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver, British Columbia. "We die. [Black men] have the shortest life expectancy. C'mon, man. The health care system? There are so many [issues]. It's like, whatever ...
"I can't start talking about civic issues. I can't start talking about civility and being a citizen if m---f---- don't even think I'm a human being. How can you talk about progress and how humans interrelate with one another when you don't even recognize our humanity? We got to somehow get that straight first so we're on the same playing field. And that's how I feel. There is just a lot of stuff, man."
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While West respects Kaepernick's stance, he lacks optimism about its lasting impact.
"What he is doing is great, but I think it's going to pass, too," West said. "I'm not as optimistic about everything as everyone always seems to be. I don't wear it on my sleeve like I used to. I've gotten older and a little bit more mature in terms of my thinking. But I understand human rights issues.
"Until you handle humanity, how do you get to talking about mass incarceration? How do you get to talk about our undereducated kids? How do we get to the health care system? How do we get to all that and you don't even think I'm a human?"
At media day last week, Golden State star Stephen Curry told reporters that he respects Kaepernick's message and thinks the spotlight should be on "that particular message and the things we can do to make changes that are blatantly obvious we need change," rather than on "who's raising their fist, who's kneeling, who's standing, who's doing this or that." Green took a similar stance while adding that the criticism of Kaepernick is "ridiculous." Both Curry and Green are on the advisory board of RISE, a nonprofit founded by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.
In his interview with The Undefeated, West said that he has spoken at juvenile detention centers and paid for trips to Africa rather than going on NBA-sponsored visits, adding that he's a part of grassroots organizations and his work "speaks for itself." West runs a charity called The West Group, and if you're an NBA fan, you don't need to look far to find an example of how he has helped people -- as a teenager, Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren played for West's AAU team, the Garner Road Bulldogs, in North Carolina. West funds that whole operation and bought the gym that they play in for $1.3 million. When Warren was drafted, West was there with him.
