Colin Kaepernick was on hand in Portland, Oregon, to watch the Golden State Warriors complete a sweep of the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
Kaepernick had courtside seats to Game 4 and celebrated the Warriors’ fifth straight NBA Finals berth. Golden State prevailed in overtime, 119-117.
It was a rare moment of public visibility for Kaepernick, who has more often shunned the spotlight and rarely spoken to reporters since he stopped playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
“Being in the Bay so long, I’ve always followed (the Warriors),” Kaepernick told a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. “And they’ve always supported me.”
That support is usually demonstrated by where Kaepernick and the Warriors both stand on the political spectrum. Kaepernick’s national anthem kneeling in protest of police brutality against African Americans drew the ire of military veterans and President Trump alike; Trump disinvited the Warriors from the White House two years ago when Steph Curry said he did not want to go.
Also, Warriors coach Steve Kerr opined in 2017 that it was “a no-brainer” that NFL teams was purposely blacklisting Kaepernick due to his protests. And Warriors star Kevin Durant once said he wanted the Washington Redskins, the Maryland native’s hometown team, to sign Kaepernick.
After the game, Kaepernick was seen congratulating Steph Curry, who had his son Canon in tow:
Kaep showing love to Steph and his son, Canon 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Y7ZXcGm3UC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 21, 2019
He also may have stopped by the Warriors’ locker room when they were celebrating:
Colin Kaepernick sighting outside the Warriors locker room: pic.twitter.com/FolUfRwYlm
— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) May 21, 2019
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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