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Will NBA Players Refuse to Visit The White House? Jalen Rose Explains Why They Will

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Amid the fallout from Donald Trump’s impending presidency, Jalen Rose believes many NBA stars will refuse White House visits.

The retired basketball player made the proclamation on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” Nov. 9 ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ visit to the president’s estate.

He began by describing how Trump has alienated the Black community and other non-white groups. During his campaign, the Republican president-elect re-tweeted an inaccurate tweet about Black people murdering whites, to name one indiscretion. Such rhetoric led Black Twitter users to flip the script on his flawed logic earlier this month.

“How it’s going to affect sports?” Rose said of Trump’s stance. “Unlike Tom Brady – when his team won the championship, and he chose not to go to the White House, saying it was a scheduling conflict when Barack Obama was in office – what we’re going to see in professional sports — NBA and NFL — mark my words. There will be players that decline the opportunity to visit the White House under his presidency.”

If Rose’s words are true, that means the Cavs would be the last team to accept recognition from the Oval Office.

Members of the Ohio-based team stopped by 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to celebrate their championship during the 2016 NBA season.

President Obama praised the team in a speech Nov. 10, especially LeBron James.

“When you see LeBron James, it is not just his power and his speed and his verticle,” Obama said. “It is his unselfishness, it is his work ethic, it is his insistence on always making the right play, his determination. All of which make him one of the great players of all time.”

Additionally, the team took part in the Mannequin Challenge with first lady Michelle Obama. The craze involves participants standing perfectly still as they interact with one another on video.

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