LAS VEGAS — Vice President Kamala Harris met with the U.S. team on Tuesday, telling the 12 star American players and celebrated coaching staff they were showing their patriotism by trying to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball.
“Win a gold medal. Simple, clear and to the point,” U.S. center Bam Adebayo said in summarizing the vice president’s message.
“It was a great reminder of the fact that we’re playing for our country,” added U.S. team coach Steve Kerr, who has met Harris, a native of Oakland, Calif., on several occasions. “I thought the players really listened to every word. It was awesome.”
Harris, who will be campaigning and speaking in Nevada on Tuesday, strode onto the court at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, after the U.S.’s final practice ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Canada, the team’s first tune-up ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
The entire team, coaching staff and a large group of USA Basketball support staff gathered around the vice president, who gave a short speech out of earshot of reporters and then posed for photographs.
Harris is a known fan of the Golden State Warriors, the team for which Kerr coaches and Stephen Curry is a star player. She was with the Warriors when they visited the White House to celebrate the 2022 NBA championship, and on Tuesday she took a private photo with Kerr and chatted with Curry after his speech.
Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is also a well-known NBA fan, but supports the Los Angeles Lakers (whose players LeBron James and Anthony Davis are playing for the US national team this summer).
“It’s a very special moment for the whole team,” U.S. Team Assistant Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “She said we’re going to represent our country and everyone’s going to be watching and cheering for us. It’s a big responsibility.”
Adebayo, who was part of the Tokyo Olympic team three years ago when strict COVID-19 restrictions were still in place, said the group of gold medalists was not able to meet Harris – or President Joe Biden – because of the pandemic.
“So it was a great moment for her to be here and to be able to talk to us and then pass that on to her kids’ kids’ kids,” Adebayo said.
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(Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
