NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 19: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks the ball in the first half of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center on February 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NBANewsBy SP Wire on

NEW ORLEANS – Fresh off a victory in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, the Western Conference team has announced it will not accept an invitation to be honored at the White House by President Trump.

“It is something we talked about beforehand, knowing we could win,” said head coach Steve Kerr, who has been a vocal Trump critic. “As a group, we do not feel comfortable with the idea and so we will turn it down.”

While seven New England Patriots players so far have said they will not attend their White House ceremony in protest of Trump, the Western Conference All-Stars are the first entire team to pass on a ceremony.

“While this is just an exhibition game that is ultimately meaningless,” said Western Conference guard Steph Curry, “we do not think that the harm the Trump administration is doing to our country is meaningless and we will stand up any way we can against it. The decision was unanimous.”

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that the Western Conference had not even been invited to meet the president and that the “NBA and, especially the All-Star Game, is not something the president’s supporters enjoy. By definition, the All-Star Game is for elites and we represent the common American. Why is there no basketball game celebrating short, out of shape, white people?”