ABU DHABI: Steve Kerr, the head coach of the United States men's Olympic basketball team, and star point guard Stephen Curry called for national unity yesterday (July 14) after the "shameful" assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Kerr described it as a "demoralising day for our country" while Curry called for unity amid the "divisive" landscape currently dominating American politics.
Former US president Trump was shot through the ear while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A spectator was killed and two others were critically injured.
The suspected gunman was shot dead seconds later.
Speaking to reporters yesterday in Abu Dhabi, where Team USA are preparing for the Olympics, Kerr said it was "scary" thinking about the consequences of what happened.
"Just a terrible, sad spectacle. Two people dying. It's such a demoralising day for our country," said Kerr, whose own father was shot dead by Islamic Jihad militants while working as an academic in Beirut in 1984.
"It's yet another example of not only our political division but also our gun culture. A 20-year-old with an AR-15, trying to shoot the former president.
"It's scary to think about where this goes because of the issues that already exist in the country. So this is a terrible day."
The United States will be bidding for a 17th Olympic gold medal in men's basketball, and a fifth consecutive title, when they head to Paris later this month and are currently in the UAE capital to train and play two exhibition games against Australia and Serbia on July 15 and 17.
"This is a time where we feel very proud to represent our country, wearing USA on our chest, competing in the Olympics," said Kerr.
"We've talked to the players about how important it is to show the best version of us as human beings. To represent our country in a respectful manner, a dignified manner and it makes you want to do that even more so because this is really shameful for us to sit here and think about what happened and what's going on in our country.
"Obviously what we're doing is very trivial, we're just playing basketball, but we want to put our best selves out there to try to give people a glimpse of what our country can be about and then you hear something like this and it's just so demoralising."
Golden State Warriors' point guard Curry said the political scene ahead of this November's was disheartening.
"This is obviously a very sad time, just in general, all the conversations around the election and the state of politics in our country and then you have a situation like this, which just evokes a lot of emotions around things that we need to correct as a people," said Curry.
"Obviously gun control, first and foremost. Because the fact that that's even possible for somebody to have an attack like that, but just more so, you want positivity and hope.
"It sounds cheesy but it's real. That's when our country is at its best. It just adds another blemish to what's going on. So 'sad' is just the word I can come up with."
A star-studded USA squad that includes Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid, will be heading to London for two more exhibition games after Abu Dhabi, before flying to France to kick off their Olympics campaign in Lille.
"For us, we're going to use it as a unifying moment to use this platform and this opportunity to represent ourselves, our upbringings, our families, our country, to the best that we can," added Curry, 36.
"And hopefully that channels the right energy back home.
"As opposed to where I feel like a lot of the conversation is more divisive."