Golden State Warriors: Rick Barry comes to Trump’s defense

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 27: NBA legend Rick Barry speaks on the Samsung LED Court at NBA Opening Night 2015 at Pier 43 on October 27, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Samsung)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 27: NBA legend Rick Barry speaks on the Samsung LED Court at NBA Opening Night 2015 at Pier 43 on October 27, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Samsung) /
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Golden State Warriors legend Rick Barry, an outspoken Conservative, came to Donald Trump’s defense, citing unfair “scrutiny.”

Golden State Warriors great Rick Barry is not one to avoid controversy. His playing career was filled with it. His post-playing career has it, too.

The Hall of Famer is not shy about expressing his political views. His stances are in stark contrast with most of today’s Warriors and the Bay Area. He is on the right side, representing a region, a franchise, and a sport that tends to lean left.

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During the 2016 Presidential Election, Barry was seen at a rally for Donald Trump. The 73-year-old  spoke to the media after coaching a game in Ice Cube’s Big Three league. He continued to voice his support for the current Commander-in-Chief, sounding off about Trump’s critics.

He told USA Today Sports that “[the scrutiny’s] a disgrace to the world, to our country, what they’re doing. The scrutiny that he’s going under is absurd. It’s ridiculous. Politics has always been horrible and it’s even worse now than what it was. What’s going on now is reprehensible.”

Trump’s administration has been riddled with controversy. Despite that, Barry’s support has been unwavering thus far. His comments come after the threat of a nuclear war became the second biggest story of the week due to the atrocious white supremacist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Barry came under fire in 1981 when he was a broadcaster for CBS. During the NBA Finals, he made a racially insensitive comment towards basketball great and activist Bill Russell. He later apologized, stating he didn’t understand the meaning of his comments.

Barry has always been outspoken, regardless of how others would feel about him. These comments–and his general support of Trump–will surely ruffle some feathers amongst Warriors and NBA fans.

He played for the San Francisco Warriors from 1965-67 and the Golden State Warriors from 1972-78.