"Really shameful for us": Team USA's Steve Kerr and Steph Curry sound off on Donald Trump's 'demoralizing' assassination attempt
Steve Kerr and Steph Curry spoke about Donald Trump's assassination attempt on Saturday during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. On tour in Abu Dhabi for the Team USA Basketball Showcase, Kerr and Curry shared similar sentiments after learning about the shooting that injured two victims and killed one during the rally.
Kerr addressed the situation on Sunday as the players prepared to represent the nation, calling it 'demoralizing' and 'shameful.'
"We've talked to the players about how important it's to show the best version of us as human beings to represent our country in a respectful, dignified manner," Kerr said (via ESPN's Brian Windhorst).
"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."
Kerr, who has a history of advocating against gun violence, called out the country's political division and the 'scary situation' referencing the 20-year-old shooter, identified by the FBI as Matthew Crooks, and his involvement in the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
"It's such a demoralizing day for our country, and it's yet another example of not only our political division, but also gun culture," Kerr said.
"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."
Steve Kerr added that he was relieved that Donald Trump wasn't hit.
Meanwhile, Steph Curry expressed the same concerns around gun violence and deemed the situation as 'sad.'
"Obviously gun control first and foremost, because the fact that that's even possible for somebody to to have an attack like that," Curry said.
"But just moreso you want to [see] 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. So sad is just the word."
Team USA is in Abu Dhabi for the next week for their scheduled exhibition games against Australia on July 16 and Serbia on July 18.
More former and current NBA players react to Donald Trump's assassination attempt
Before reactions from Steve Kerr and Steph Curry came in, former and current NBA players also shared their thoughts on the response. Among those were former LA Clippers star Lou Williams, Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac and New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson.
Williams was critical of Donald Trump and other politicians for not speaking about the victims of the shooting attempt. However, he retracted his comments on Trump after the US Presidential candidate released a statement addressing the ones impacted after the incident.
Meanwhile, Isaac was relieved to see Trump survive. Meanwhile, Robinson showed support for Trump.
The investigation regarding this shooting will continue, as per the FBI.