“And I appreciate that.”, Not far from where Colangelo stood in the Lakers’ El Segundo, California, training facility that day, I ran into Warriors coach Steve Kerr—an assistant under Popovich for Team USA who has devoted his social media reach to criticizing and mocking the president. Every penny of the more than $4.8 million they contributed over the past five-plus years has gone to GOP candidates or affiliated PACs. Most Popular. Two international basketball enthusiasts discuss the lackluster squad the United States is sending to the FIBA World Cup and what might be ahead if it wins—or loses—the tournament. A recent study conducted by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies found that, broadly speaking, billionaires tend to give somewhat equally to both political parties. It also misstated the year that Steve Ballmer was honored at the LAPD True Blue Gala. While it’s obviously a first world account of a silly-fun social media account, it’s also the story of a the brutal implosion of a Golf Channel staple that no beancounter could fully appreciate. McClendon previously served as legislative aide to former Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), and as legislative director to Representative Alma Adams (D-NC). Her inclusion makes five, not four. "John Ronald Gonzalez, born March 12th, 1977 is an American sports writer who is married to NFL Media broadcaster Colleen Wolfe. Content ©2020 The Ringer All Rights Reserved. The Magic were the latest franchise to deliver on that final component, joining a host of other organizations, among them the Kings, Bucks, Hawks, Pistons, and Clippers. More than a year ago, I asked Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of USA Basketball and a longtime NBA executive, about his political contributions. Several members of the franchise were present, including president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, CEO Alex Martins, head coach Steve Clifford, and center Mo Bamba. “It’s not good enough at this point to simply put out a statement. By Isaiah De los Santos @IsaiahDeLos Dec … There are Black people making money for these [governors], and these [governors] are going to invest it into the same people who are oppressing them.”, The owners’ widespread financial support of the GOP, however, has not insulated the league from being criticized by the Trump administration. Share Advanced. The organization’s initial arena plan also called for construction of a new African American Museum—a move endorsed by the Urban League of Philadelphia, the Urban Affairs Coalition, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, and the African-American Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was the result of an agreement reached in late August between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association after players paused the postseason to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin, Officer Rusten Sheskey. Fertitta called NBA players “our partners,” insisted, “I don’t know why [Trump] made that statement,” and said the president’s remarks were “disappointing, because everybody right now is somewhat of a political organization and that’s why we all need to work together, to pull everybody, to work together to solve all these issues.”. “In the grand scheme of things, that’s $10 million per team, and that’s essentially a tax.”. That position becomes harder to defend, however, when considering their one-sided political donations. Social Shares. On Off. He has given $788,100 to Trump over that period, including a $355,000 donation to his super PAC in May. John, who is a … Finally, Justin Verrier comes on to round up all the other free-agency news (48:59). Of course, DeVos isn’t an outlier on that front. Class. George Floyd, whose name is attached to HR 7120 in his honor, was killed May 25. As Roberts said, “I don’t think any of our players think we’ve got a bunch of progressives running these teams.” Her membership knows the deal. While Harris has not donated directly to Trump or his super PAC, he has ties to the administration. Follow The Ringer online: Site search Search. Some of the owners who purport to be allies in the fight against systemic racism and police brutality have also contributed massive amounts of money to Trump and the GOP, a … Along with his wife, Connie, the Ballmers have made 54 contributions totaling more than $7.9 million since 2015. (DeVos’s sister-in-law, Betsy DeVos, is the U.S. secretary of education. The Ringer’s John Gonzalez is joined by Juliet Litman to discuss the impact of Tyronn Lue temporarily stepping away as the Cavaliers' head coach, due to illness. Report this GIF; Iframe Embed. (Instead, the Wells Fargo Center will serve as a mail ballot drop-off site.) ‘Heat Check’: Daryl Morey, China, and the NBA, Daryl Morey’s Hong Kong Tweet Has Put His Relationship With the Rockets in Limbo, The Unexplainable, Undeniably Entertaining Rituals of the Bills Mafia. Recently, a Utah Jazz beat writer for The Salt Lake Tribune named Andy Larsen reported about the political donations of head coach Quin Snyder, who made two $500 contributions to a Black Republican congressional candidate who had spoken out against the NBA and BLM protests. The Ringer’s John Gonzalez and Chris Ryan react to LeBron James signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for four years (1:44). “That’s the only way to learn and to hopefully make this country and our electorate stronger. ... the ringer john gonzalez. After all, the majority of NBA players are Black, but the majority of governors are white. Does anyone else feels that John Gonzalez is the worst podcast host? JS Embed. But that same cycle, Sarver also donated $25,000 to Defend Arizona, a super PAC aligned with her opponent at the time, Martha McSally. Some of the owners who purport to be allies in the fight against systemic racism and police brutality have also contributed massive amounts of money to Trump and the GOP, a president and a party that stand in direct opposition to a specific position the players want to see advanced—law enforcement accountability and reform through HR 7120. The Ringer’s John Gonzalez brings on Shea Serrano to discuss the tumultuous Cleveland Cavaliers (3:30), Jonathan Tjarks to deliberate over the Pistons’ future (18:45), Joe House to question whether the Wizards should trade John Wall (32:35), and Kevin O’Connor and Jason Concepcion to review previous trade deadlines and preview the upcoming one (44:35). Plus, NBA Media in L.A. ‘Heat Check’: Zion’s Injury, Buddy Gets Paid, and Way-Too-Early Playoff Predictions, The NBA Won’t Be Able to Reset Its Relationship With China Anytime Soon. This cycle, the DeVoses have donated more than $2 million to Republicans. This GIF by The Ringer has everything: football, eagles, JOHN GONZALEZ! Harris never discussed a role at the White House with Jared Kushner. This season, the Spurs could break the record, but they’ll have to walk a tightrope to do it in the souped-up West. In February, shortly before the league temporarily suspended operations because of the coronavirus pandemic, Fertitta gave $35,000 to the Trump Victory PAC. “This is very straightforward,” Kenyatta said. The Ringer. It drives me mad that there are ways for people to justify supporting Trump while taking a very progressive position on other issues.”. The Ringer has a lot of work to do,” The Ringer Union sent from their account. The task force never moved forward.”), But if Harris’s actions seem contradictory—partnering with players to fight voter suppression and promising to invest in the Black community while also meeting with high-ranking administration officials and enabling a party that has often worked against the interests of the Black community—Cuban cautioned that you cannot “pigeonhole” owners or players into “conservative or progressive compartments,” and he doesn’t believe that they’re “monolithic in thought or positions.”. Meanwhile, former players like Greg Anthony and Caron Butler criticized the idea that owners have done enough simply by pledging $300 million. Responding to Russillo’s praise of Simmons for promoting diversity, staff writer John Gonzalez supported the statement put out by the Ringer Union. The loans went through the firm’s standard approval process for this line of business, were typical for Apollo and done at market rate, and were disclosed with the SEC as normal for Apollo. Pleas for police reform and justice continued on Wednesday, when it was announced that a Kentucky grand jury would not directly charge any officers for their role in the killing of Breonna Taylor. As Jemele Hill explained in The Atlantic in July, “The NFL can’t fight racism when owners support Trump.” The NBA faces the same problem. We’re gonna have to put our money and our votes where it counts.”. The league also approved a list of messages to be worn on jerseys and painted “Black Lives Matter” on all courts in the bubble. Among NBA governors who donated solely to Democrats, Lasry leads the way with a little over $544,000 in contributions. The deal had gone unnoticed until reported by the Times, which discovered that it was triple the average size of property loans typically made by Apollo, according to securities filings reviewed by the paper. “I think it’s really dishonest for anyone to even say, ‘Oh, I’m just donating to one of the parties that I believe in.’ You can’t differentiate, you can’t separate whatever economic argument you make for supporting Republicans from the harm they’re doing,” said Shaniqua McClendon, now the political director for Crooked Media. The front of the mailer looked like a photo of Phoenix, until it was tilted in a certain direction—at which point the hologram shifted to a mushroom cloud. That bid was defeated by another developer, but the team initially claimed that the construction of a new multiuse building could lead to $1 billion for “businesses and contractors owned by people of color during the construction and initial operations of the project,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. During their race, Defend Arizona distributed an anti-Sinema mailer claiming she wouldn’t keep people safe. They are, in order: While some governors donate some money to both political parties—Jerry Reinsdorf, Herb Simon, Micky Arison, and Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer gave at least 20 percent of their donations to both parties—and while only five directly contributed to Trump or his PACs (DeVos, James Dolan, Tilman Fertitta, Julianna Holt, and Jim Buss, part owner of the Lakers), most of the contributions by owners over the past five-plus years have gone to the GOP and its causes.