Former Chicago Bulls star Steve Kerr returned to the United Center on Monday, but instead of hoisting the game-winning shot in the NBA Finals, he instead invoked Steph Curry and praised Vice President Kamala Harris in a speech at the DNC.
Kerr, an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, said he is committed to spending the remaining weeks until the election ensuring a Harris victory, and he invoked Curry’s famed “night, night” celebration to wrap up his address.
“After the results are tallied that night, we can, in the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump ‘night, night,’’ he said.
Kerr said he was aware that speaking out on the political scene was a fraught enterprise, but said he knew it was the right thing to do as he addressed delegates. He also invoked political commentator Laura Ingraham's famous criticism of LeBron James, whom she told to "shut up and dribble" over his political views.
“I know very well that speaking out about politics these days comes with risks. I can see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets fired off as I speak. But I also knew that as an American citizen that it was too important not to speak up in an election of this magnitude,” he said.
In his remarks, Kerr said that the Harris-Walz ticket was about “dignity,” and said the former president did not live up to that standard.
“I believe leaders must display dignity. I believe leaders must tell the truth. I believe leaders must care for and love the people they’re leading,” he said. “When you think about it that way, this is no contest.”
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Chicago fans also got a bit of love, with Kerr coming out to the iconic Alan Parsons Project song that accompanies the Bulls onto the floor each night. Kerr, who made the game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals, referenced his time with that legendary Bulls team.
“As you know, a lot of good stuff has happened in this building, especially in the 90s,” he said before jokingly telling the crowd to Google Michael Jordan.
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