Warriors Stephen Curry expresses support for protests in Minneapolis

After that The Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-85following The NBA postpones the game following the killing of Alex Pretty by federal immigration officials, Stephen Curry expressed support for the protests taking place in Minneapolis as a result of the turmoil.

“In minus 10 degree weather, it was great to see such a turnout,” Currie said. “It speaks to how important it was for those people to have their voices heard, and in those elements, regardless of the streets that were in front of our hotel. They were out and it was amazing to watch.”

It’s been a tumultuous month for Minneapolis residents as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents continue to occupy the city, creating widespread turmoil and unrest as a result.

In addition to Pretty’s death, in which DHS agents surrounded a 37-year-old nurse, forced him to the ground and shot him 10 times, earlier this month ICE agents shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Goode as she walked away from a group of officers, which was filmed by multiple onlookers.

Goode’s death was one of the catalysts for a statewide general strike by Minnesotans last week.

“There are a lot of heavy hearts,” Curry said. “Yesterday was rough. It was rough, I know here. And you can feel it (when) we got here, two days ago, (with) the protests that were going on downtown. It was amazing to see the turnout, the peaceful protest and the united voice that was here. And you feel that it would kind of turn the tide in a more positive direction.”

Curry has long been a vocal advocate for community activism. In 2020, Curry participated in Black Lives Matter protests in Oakland and Palo Alto. And in 2023, the NBA recognized Curry with the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Champion of Social Justice Award.

How both teams handled the delayed game

The Warriors and T-Wolves were in constant communication in the hours before the NBA postponed the game on Saturday afternoon. After speaking with Curry and the team, Steve Kerr spoke to Wolves manager Chris Finch and winger Joe Ingleswith both expressing unease about playing after Preeti’s murder.

But even after the Warriors-Wolves played their rescheduled game, both teams noted the dark atmosphere of the arena, a sign of the shadow hanging over the city.

“I thought the atmosphere in the stands was one of the weirdest and saddest games I’ve been a part of,” Kerr described. “You could feel the somber atmosphere … We could tell (the Timberwolves) were struggling with everything that was going on, what the city was going through.”

The Warriors won easily by forcing the Timberwolves into 26 turnovers and Curry led them with a team-high 26 points. But with the sullen atmosphere of the Target Center, basketball seemed secondary to the ongoing situation in Minneapolis. In his same press, Curri remained vocal in his support protesters and the Minneapolis community.

“There are a lot of changes that need to happen,” Curry said. “And when you’re here and you feel it, yesterday I was glued to the TV until we played. I was just watching the broadcast and understanding what was going on and trying to really learn about it. Hopefully the community can kind of come together and make the right decisions so that it’s more of a peaceful environment here.”

Golden State will play Minnesota in the rematch tomorrow.