NBA vet David West obliterates 'fairytale' of post-racial America

Hard to argue.
 By 
Sam Laird
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

NBA veteran David West articulated the thoughts of many on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors forward -- who has made subtle social statements longer than most fans realize -- blasted the "fairytale" of a post-racial America following Donald Trump's election win.

There's a transcript below, but first here's video, via the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau:


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And for those without audio:

Just about every sort of political group you could name, folks agreed with his positions -- and you can't deny that because folks voted for him. So, I think, throw that on the table.

This whole fairytale about some post-racial, post ... this utopia that Obama supposedly created is all ... it's all bull. That's the bottom line when you look at what the results say from last night. This nation has not moved a thread in terms of its ideals.

"Not moved a thread" may be a hyperbolic, but what's undeniable is Trump's campaign leveraged white nationalism and hate toward racial minorities during his campaign for the White House vote. Then he won.

Now for a bit of little-known history about West.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While Colin Kaepernick has become a lightning rod this season for his kneeling protests of the national anthem before NFL games, West has long been making a similar -- albeit much subtler statement -- before NBA games.

Ever since he played for the New Orleans Hornets from 2003 to 2011, West has stood about two-feet behind his teammates while they line up for the pre-game rendition of the national anthem, he told The Undefeated in October. That standing, silent protest, which West said is in honor of the historic and systemic mistreatment of black Americans, went unnoticed by NBA fans until this season.

He didn't strike a particularly upbeat tone in sharing his thoughts with The Undefeated last month.

"I’m not as optimistic about everything as everyone always seems to be," West told Marc Spears. "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."

West is likely to catch heat from some corners for what he said Wednesday -- but no one can say he's new to thinking about subjects beyond the basketball court.

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Sam Laird

Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.

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