As the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team prepares for its upcoming exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, head coach Steve Kerr and star player Steph Curry, both also of the Golden State Warriors, voiced Sunday morning their concern and sadness following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump .
A 20-year-old gunman opened fire Saturday evening during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring Trump’s right ear. The shooter and a rally attendee were killed and at least two more were critically injured.
Kerr, whose father Malcolm Kerr was shot and killed in Beirut in 1984, has persistently spoken out against the high rates of gun violence in the U.S. and has participated in several advocacy events around the subject throughout the years.
"It's such a demoralizing day for our country, and it's yet another example of not only our political division but also our gun culture," Kerr said from Abu Dhabi. "A 20-year-old with an AR-15 trying to shoot the former president. It's hard to process everything, and it's scary to think about where this goes because of the issues that already exist in the country. So this is a terrible day.”
Kerr added that yesterday’s events make Team USA’s actions more important than ever.
"This is a time where we feel very proud to represent our country wearing USA on our chest, competing in the Olympics," Kerr said. "We've talked to the players about how important it is to show the best version of us as human beings to represent our country in a respectful, dignified manner. It makes you want to do that even more so, because this is really shameful for us to sit here and think about what happened and what's going on in our country."
Curry echoed Kerr’s sentiments, calling today "a very sad time in general."
"All the conversations around the election and the state of politics in our country, and then you have a situation like this, which just evokes a lot of emotions around things that we need to correct as a people," Curry said.
Curry called for more gun restrictions in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. Like Kerr, Curry has also been outspoken about gun violence throughout the years.
"Obviously, gun control first and foremost," Curry said. "Because the fact that that's even possible for somebody to have an attack like that. But just more so you just want positivity and hope. It sounds cheesy, but it's real. That's when our country's at its best, and it just adds another blemish to what's going on. Sad is just the word."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Demoralizing day’: Steve Kerr, Steph Curry on Trump assassination attempt
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