<
        >

          NBA

          Stephen Curry on SI cover: 'That was terrible'

          • Chris Haynes, ESPN Staff WriterSep 27, 2017, 08:59 PM
            Close
            • Covers NBA and Warriors for ESPN.com
            • Covered Cavaliers and NBA for Cleveland Plain Dealer from 2014-2016
            • Covered Trail Blazers for Comcast SportsNet NW from 2011-2014
            • Fresno State University graduate
            Follow on X

          OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors two-time MVP Stephen Curry doesn't approve of Sports Illustrated's latest "unity" magazine cover.

          The controversial cover, released Tuesday, features 10 sports figures who have spoken out about social injustice and/or participated in taking-a-knee protests during the national anthem at NFL games in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's vitriolic rhetoric, including his referring to an NFL player who protests by taking a knee during the anthem as a "son of a bitch."

          The headline on the SI cover was “A Nation Divided: Sports United.”

          LeBron James, Curry and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are shown on the front row with locked arms. There was no picture of free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started the movement last year when, while with the 49ers, he began taking a knee during the pregame anthem to raise awareness of racial profiling by police and racial inequality.

          "That was terrible," Curry said of the cover after practice on Wednesday. "It's just kind of capitalizing on the hoopla and media and all that nonsense. The real people that understand exactly what's been going on and who's really been active and vocal and truly making a difference, if you don't have Kaepernick front and center on that, there's something wrong."

          Also on the cover are Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, L.A. Sparks forward Candace Parker, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Oakland A's catcher Bruce Maxwell.

          Curry initially responded to the cover on Instagram. He wrote "Booooooooooooo" in the comment section of the post that revealed the cover.

          "It's kind of hard to see how certain narratives take place, being prisoners of the moment," he said. "I was kind of joking around yesterday when I saw that on a certain Instagram handle. But at the end of the day, that stuff really doesn't matter. It's about the true message and really highlighting the people who are doing the right thing."