Golden State Coach Steve Kerr Opens Up About Hosting Trayvon Martin’s Mom At Warriors-Heat Game
The Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, and Trayvon Martin’s mother have something in common: they have both lost a loved one to gun violence.
In a show of kindness, the NBA coach, whose father was murdered in 1984 in Lebanon while serving as president of the American University of Beirut, invited Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, to attend the Warriors' matchup against the Miami Heat on Friday (Nov. 29), NBC Sports reports.
At the game, Kerr wore a wristband with “I Am Trayvon Martin” inscribed, NBC Sports reports.
The 17-year-old unarmed Black boy from Miami was shot and killed by George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012, after the then 28-year-old man saw him walking in his gated community in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was later found not guilty of second-degree murder after he said he acted in self-defense.
After Friday’s game, Fulton had a chance to go to Golden State’s locker room to meet with the team and Kerr, NBC Sports reports.
“It was heartbreaking,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s a pain that will never go away.”
“It’s not easy,” Kerr said, NBC Sports reports. “What do you say to somebody who’s lost a child in that manner? There’s not much I can say. Just try to do nice things for people and kind gestures go a long way.”
Fulton announced in May that she is running for Miami-Dade County commissioner.
Kerr has previously spoken out about gun violence and took part in a town-hall event after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
He’s said his outspokenness on the issue is because “I’m a citizen of this country and we live in a democracy. I feel like it’s my responsibility to speak on some of the things happening in the world today,” the Washington Post reports.
After Friday’s game, Kerr told NBC Sports he was happy to invite Fulton to the game.
“I’m glad we could host her and she could meet some of our guys and have a fun night at the ballgame,” he said. “It meant a lot to me.”
