SAN FRANCISCO — Coaches and players from the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics wore orange jerseys with the message “End Gun Violence” on the front before Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Celtics coach Ime Udoka wore the jerseys in their pregame news conferences on Sunday night. Kerr made an impassioned and angry plea during a pregame news conference in Dallas ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals for a change in gun laws after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. earlier that day on May 24.
“We feel very strongly as a league that it’s time for people to take notice,” Kerr said Sunday. “And engage in what should be a national effort to limit the gun violence that exists. And there are ways to limit it. There are proven laws waiting to be passed, whether it’s background checks or whatever.
“There are things we can do that wouldn’t violate people’s Second Amendment rights, but would save lives. The idea behind wearing both teams’ jerseys is to make people realize that they can contribute to different groups of security and prevention of armed violence.
On the back of the shirts, there is a message that reads “LEARN MORE” with the social media handles of organizations seeking to end gun violence and support gun control legislation such as “@bradybuzz”, “@everytown “, “@giffordscourage” “@livefreeusa” and “@marchforourlives”.
San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich spoke at a Stand with Uvalde meeting Saturday in San Antonio and took aim at government officials to end gun violence.
“How many will it take?” Popovich asked. “One massacre a month? Two massacres a week? Fifteen children? Twenty-four children? Where [a shooter will] kill 74 ever? So maybe do something? Get off your ass! Do something! They work for us. Most of us want them to do something about gun laws and they don’t because they care more about their power, their position and their money than our children.”
Kerr implored people to get out and vote to try to impact change with gun laws.
“I think the most important thing is to vote,” said Kerr, whose father, Malcolm, was shot dead in a terrorist attack in 1984 when he was president of the American University in Beirut. “What I understand is that a lot of the congressional races that exist, even though the majority of people in this country want gun safety measures in place, a lot of those races are decided by people who are not as for any kind of gun safety measures. So people were able to vote, and if you’re convinced of saving lives and possibly even someone in your own family, get out there and vote.
“That’s the only way to convince the people that we need to convince to start implementing gun safety regulation prevention laws, things that we can do to help.”
Udoka also spoke out against gun violence during the Eastern Conference finals.
“We play a game where if you win, you’re elated and you feel great,” Udoka said Sunday. “You lose, you’re devastated at the moment, but it’s not life or death, you move on. Awareness is about things that continue to happen in our communities. They’re devastated and their families are devastated and we’re moving on.” with our normal life and business. Just keep having those thoughts in your mind and those people are struggling.
“It keeps happening. And there needs to be awareness and change, and we’re all on the same page on that.”
Reference-www.espn.com