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Damian Lillard (left), CJ McCollum (3) and Steph Curry (30) during the NBA Playoffs, May 2016. Bradley W. Parks / OPB

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Recently, professional athletes have been at the center of a debate around sports and politics. An ongoing protest within the NFL has seen a growing number of players make a statement about racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.

Meanwhile, President Trump rescinded a White House invitation to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors after Stephen Curry said he didn’t want to go because of some of Trump’s past statements.

Athletes across the country have spoken out on these issues and in support of their fellow players. That includes Damian Lillard, star guard for the Portland Trail Blazers.

He joined OPB’s "Think Out Loud" to talk about the role athletes can play in political conversations.

To listen to the entire interview, use the audio player at the top of this story.

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On the idea that athletes should stay out of politics:

"They want us to just go out there and play basketball, put that jersey on and be proud and don’t represent anything, don’t stand for anything, don’t have an opinion, just be respectful and go out there and play.

"For me, it makes me think back to kind of the way it was with slavery, when it was, 'They want the young, strong,' and, you know, ‘His arm’s long, he’s got big calves.’ They just want us to go out there and do what we’re built to do. We’re good athletes, we’re physically strong, we’re very capable.

"It reminds me of that type of attitude. They don’t want to know what we think, they don’t care how we feel about something. It’s just, ‘Go out there and do what your job is. You make a lot of money, and we don’t want to hear about it.’”

On Trump referring to protesting black NFL players as "sons of bitches":

“I think that’s unfortunate, and it’s crazy. Because sports is one thing [for which] people have always come together. When you put a white guy and a black guy — regardless of what type of background they have — you put them on the same team, and they’re able to come together and connect on a different level. So it was unfortunate to see him bring that into sports and try to divide ... [That was] something that I hated to see.”

Would Lillard accept an invitation to the Trump White House?

“I would not … I would say, 'Thanks but no thanks.' Same thing that’s happening now.”

On Trump rescinding the Warriors' White House invitation:

“That’s the same thing as if I’m a kid and my friend says, 'I don’t want to spend the night at your house,' and he turns around and says, 'Well, I don’t want you to spend the night, you can’t come spend the night.' It doesn’t matter, because I already told him I didn’t want to spend the night.”