Karl-Anthony Towns, even at 21 years old, is using his platform as a budding superstar in the NBA to make a positive impact on racism in America.
As a contributor to The Players’ Tribune, Towns opened a vein about this month’s racial clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying he was shocked by President Donald Trump’s response to the situation.
“I was shocked by how our President responded to Charlottesville.
Our President was given a layup: Denounce white supremacists.
And he couldn’t … and wouldn’t.
He missed … he missed badly.”
Trump condemned “all that hate stands for.” But when speaking to reporters two days after the Aug. 12 clash in Charlottesville, he said the “egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence” came from “many sides, on many sides,” NBC News reported.
Towns added: “It’s really hard to see our president refuse to stand up for what’s right — at a time when the country needs it.”
Towns, who will play in an alumni basketball game at the University of Kentucky this weekend, also reflected on what went through his mind after a Twin Cities police officer shot and killed Philando Castile last year.
“My Timberwolves teammates and I talked about Philando after that tragedy and his name came up now and then over the last season — because, with that incident, it felt personal. It was a Twin Cities thing. It hit close to home. I don’t remember exactly what we said, but it was kind of like this: We’re all sitting there, as minorities in a league that’s mostly minority, and we’re wondering, What if I didn’t play in the NBA … would that be me?”
“Our President was given a layup: Denounce white supremacists. And he couldn’t.”@KarlTowns on Charlottesville: https://t.co/Og0JVYs1Vl pic.twitter.com/w8EVumTEaC
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) August 25, 2017
