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Trump Disses Steph Curry in Smackdown Aimed at 'Unpatriotic' Pro Athletes 

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President Trump rescinded his invitation to Stephen Curry to visit the White House Saturday after the NBA superstar said he didn't want to go. Trump's terse tweet came on the heels of a presidential smackdown aimed at NFL stars who protest the National Anthem.

Steph Curry wasn't the only one on the Golden State Warriors team who wanted to refuse the offer. Standout Kevin Durant and coach Steve Kerr also rebuffed the invitation.  

But before the entire team had a chance to vote on whether to go, they were uninvited in a presidential tweet Saturday morning which read, "Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!" 

The Golden State Warriors came out on top of the 2017 NBA Championship. It is customary for the winning team to visit the White House.  However, Friday at a Warriors Media Day press conference, Curry said if it were up to him, the team would not attend.

"I don't want to go," Curry said, "It's not just me going to the White House. If it was, this would be a pretty short conversation."

Curry continued, "We don't stand for basically what our President has, the things that he's said and the things that he hasn't said in the right times, that we won't stand for it," Curry said. "And by acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye to. It's not just the act of not going there. There are things you have to do on the back end to actually push that message into motion."

"(Athletes are) all trying to do what we can. We're using our platforms, using our opportunities to shed light on that, so that's kind of where I stand on it. I don't think us not going to the White House is going to miraculously make everything better, but this is my opportunity to voice that."

NBA star LeBron James came to Curry's defense with a tweet blasting the president.

In addition to harsh words for pro basketball players who Trump considers unpatriotic, the president lashed out at football players who he says show disrespect for America.

Speaking at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama Friday, Trump's condemnation of professional football players who he says disrespect the American flag was met with thunderous applause and spontaneous shouts of "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

Trump says players who don't love America should hear the words, "You're fired."

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a ##### off the field right now. He's out. He's fired." 

After the lengthy standing ovation died down, Trump continued. 

"You know, some owner's going to do that. He's going to say, 'That guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired.' And that owner, they don't know it, they're friends of mine many of them, they don't know it, but they'll be the most popular person for a week. They'll be the most popular person in this country.  Because that's a total disrespect of our heritage. That's a total disrespect of everything that we stand for."

The crowd interrupted Trump several times with cheers and applause, but stopped the president's speech with loud booing when Trump lamented, "When people like yourselves turn on the television and you see players take a knee when they play our great national anthem."

Trump said NFL owners aren't the only ones with the power to thwart unpatriotic players' behavior.  Fans at the games should take action, too, he said. 

"The only thing you can do is, when you see it, even if it's one player, leave the stadium. I guarantee things will stop. Just pick up and leave." 

The executive director of the NFL players' union responded to Trump's comments saying no one should have to "choose a job that forces them to surrender their rights."

NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith says in a statement that demonstrations are "protected speech" that has prompted "thoughtful discussions in our locker rooms and in board rooms."

 

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