The NBA has had a renaissance of sorts as more and more of its players become politically and socially charged. Athletes in all sports, really, have been more vocal than in the past about their political beliefs. They have called for social changes using their platforms and their protests.
Most of these players have done so from the liberal standpoint. Notably, LeBron James, one of the biggest athletes in the world, recently endorsed Hillary Clinton as the next US President.
But there are some vocal conservatives in the NBA as well. None have been has well-known in their political beliefs as Spencer Hawes. The Charlotte Hornets big man spoke to Adi Joseph of Sporting News about his political beliefs and life in the NBA as a conservative:
But I think if you know what you’re talking about and can have a discussion about it, I think people respect that on either side. If you’re just coming out blurting the talking points that you see on cable news, no one really has time for that. But if you actually take your time. Most people in an interview like this would be like, “So, are you endorsing Trump?!” And you’d be like, “Yeah, I like what he said about this!” And that’s the headline, and that’s all you get.
But I think guys respect if you can really sit down and have a conversation about why you are the way you are. I remember talking to a guy back when I was in Philly. We were talking about it, we were talking about social issues and welfare, and he said, “I grew up on welfare. That’s how we ate.” And that wasn’t my experience. I had one view of it, then you have a discussion with him, and you sit down and you say, all right, everybody comes from somewhere, different places, and a lot of my upbringing probably shaped where I find myself now, just as everybody’s does.
Spencer Hawes goes on to give a great interview about the election, not endorsing Donald Trump, and some of his views on other athletes speaking out both politically and socially. The whole interview is worth a read.
