In an appearance at a rally in Seattle on Thursday night, Storm teammates Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd were joined by Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins to speak out against police violence and systemic racism.
The rally was organized by Washington assistant Will Conroy, but among the star athletes in attendance, it was Stewart, the WNBA’s 2019 regular season and Finals MVP, who spoke first.
“I’m disappointed in the country I represent with USA Basketball and a country that still has racism,” she said. “Racism is a big problem in our country.”
Stewart added: “I can’t relate to the Black community, I know what I’m feeling, you guys are feeling 1,000 times more, and I’m just going to continue to do my best to create change.”
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The four-time champion at Connecticut pledged to educate herself and her family members, and do the work that has been “put off” for so long. Lloyd then took the microphone and told the story of calling her father recently. The Storm standout recalls being saddened by the fact that he felt his “biggest success in life” was raising children who lived past 25 years old.
“That can’t be the only success story that the black community knows and understands,” Loyd said. “There’s so much more that we have to give as human beings.”
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LaVine, a native of Renton, Wash., spoke next, pledging to do a better job of being informed politically and making it a priority to vote.
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Rarely do you see the genuine, humble perspective of athletes like what has been shared by these three, and many, many others around the country the past two weeks. Communities are hurting, and it’s one thing to talk about conversations that must be had, and another to start them oneself.
