Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry gave his honest, and blunt, opinion to television reporters.
Just like the way he competes on the basketball court, Kyle Lowry was uncompromising when asked his opinion on U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order blocking entry to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.
"I think it's bullshit," the Philadelphia native and Toronto Raptors all-star point guard said bluntly after practice on Monday. "I think it's absolute bullshit. Our country is the country of the home of the free. For that to happen is bullshit. I won't get into it too deeply, but personally I think it's bullshit."
Lowry's comment was honest and obviously from the heart – unlike the bland offerings many professional athletes will mouth when asked to comment on subject matter that doesn't transpire on a basketball court or football field or in a hockey arena.
But the swearing was a bit much for at least one national television reporter, who asked if Lowry would agree to a "do-over" for the camera – without the pointed language.
Lowry dug in his heels like a petulant bulldog, giving no quarter.
"No, not at all," Lowry said. "Y'all have to bleep that out. That's how I feel about it. If you use it, you use it. I'm sure you can bleep it out."
The Raptors have lost six of their past seven games, a slump that has seen them relinquish first place in the NBA's Atlantic Division to the Boston Celtics, with the Atlanta Hawks hovering close behind. Toronto will attempt to get back on track Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite the recent slide, the primary topic of discussion after practice involved worrisome world events, including Trump's travel ban and Monday's shooting at a mosque in Quebec City that left six dead.
"First of all, I think I'll start by saying our thoughts go out to all the people in Quebec," said Masai Ujiri, the Raptors president. "It's very unfortunate that stuff like this is happening in Canada and all over the world. I am finding it difficult to really absorb some of this stuff – from the [President's] ban to everything that's going on.
"Being somebody that travels around the world, you meet a lot of people – especially youth that I deal with and work with. I think it's just ridiculous what's going on out there."
The National Basketball Association, more than any other North American sports league, prides itself on the globalization of its game; earlier this month, the NBA staged regular-season contests in Mexico City and London.
At the beginning of the year, almost 25 per cent of the league's active players were born outside the United States – a total of 113 international players from a record 41 countries and territories, including 11 from Canada.
And a league with open borders has not shied away from expressing outrage over Trump's executive order banning people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen – countries the U.S. believes house terrorist militants – from entering the United States.
Trump said the ban is necessary to ensure the security of U.S. citizens.
Lowry, who said he bleeds "red, white and blue," argued that athletes should be free to speak their minds on issues outside their sport.
"I think everyone in the world who has a voice has an obligation to speak out," he said. "I think that is why we have the amendment for freedom of speech. I think everyone can say and speak their hearts, if you feel you want to or you don't.
"At the end of the day, I don't get into politics. I really shy away from it because it's not my thing, it's not my expertise. But when it comes to having an opinion, that right there [the ban] bothers me."
And Lowry isn't the only one to proclaim his objection to the travel ban.
Over the weekend, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called the plan's roll-out "Keystone Kops-like," and Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warrriors, described it as "shocking" and "a horrible idea."
"NBA players – a lot of us just go out there, and people don't know that we do pay attention to everything," Lowry said. "We care about our world. We care about our children growing up in this situation. I have two young children. I want them to grow up to be happy with who they are and be proud of who they are in the situation in the country that they are in."
Ujiri – who was born in Zaria, Nigeria, and was allowed to emigrate to the United States, where he pursued his basketball dreams – said he can understand the desire of the new U.S. government to ensure the safety of its citizens.
"I think there's need for that," Ujiri said. "But I think there's ways to deal with people. And yeah, I'm not a politician, but there are ways to deal with people the proper way."
Ujiri said he is not afraid of travelling anywhere in the world. But he is fearful that Trump's travel ban will only have an adverse effect on the United States.
"To me, it's just not good to see," Ujiri said. "Somehow you're starting to get people to start to think in a bad way all over the world, and I just don't know how that's good."