Sacramento Kings: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 Media Day
3. Vivek Ranadive and Garrett Temple discuss NFL protests
President Donald Trump has been a topic of discussion in the basketball world lately, after revoking the Golden State Warriors‘ right to visit the White House. Trump then spoke out against NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem in a speech in Alabama.
The sports world responded in nearly unanimous action against Trump; LeBron James notably took to Twitter after Trump’s comments about Steph Curry and many in the sports world have spoken out against the president’s most recent inflammatory comments.
The Kings were no exception in this regard. Owner Vivek Ranadive released a statement shortly before Media Day that addressed the issue:
Ranadive was not alone in speaking out during Media Day. Garrett Temple also spoke about what might be the next steps for the NFL:
Temple on the next step: "What action is going to follow? And a lot of that is wondering when Colin Kaepernick will be on an NFL team."
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) September 26, 2017
While the main focus of Media Day was on the impending start of the basketball season, Ranadive and Temple’s comments reflect that this story is one that has ripple effects across the sports landscape.