Candace Buckner

PORTLAND, Ore. – As the veteran power forward, David West carries the responsibility for much of what the Indiana Pacers do on both ends of the floor. However, as a candid individual, West also carries the reputation of a professional athlete who will freely express his thoughts.

West has been frank in sharing his opinions regarding the recent news involving the police-related deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City.

On Thursday before the Pacers played the Portland Trail Blazers, West addressed his decision to speak out in a stream of tweets and replies.

"Listen, I am a human being and I don't allow what I do to define who I am as a human being," West said in measured tones while sitting alone after the team's shootaround. "I think what happens in this life – when I mean this life, I mean the NBA – you get lulled into thinking this is real life and it's not. This is a game. It's something obviously we do at a professional level and monetarily, we're paid to do it, but 5-year-olds do this. So, you have to always keep things in perspective."

Over the past week, West's Twitter page has been dominated by the news of the two separate grand juries declining to indict both officers involved in the deaths. He has been one of the few known professional athletes to continue the conversation – to both an accepting as well as a dissenting audience – on his social media feed.

"Unfortunately, we live in a world – when I say world, I'm talking about basketball – guys are turning a blind eye to it. They'll talk to you to death about going to buy their sneakers or buying their gear and all this other type (stuff), but they won't address the things that are actually happening in the world to people," West said. "It's very, very, disheartening to be a part of this world sometimes when you see this sort of disregard. I'm not saying everybody has to be as in tuned as I am, I don't put that on other people, but it's very disheartening at times for people not to be aware of what's going on in the lives of other people.

"I learned a long time ago, if you're not effectively looking to do things for other people, you're living a selfish life," said West, who spoke for nearly 10 minutes on the subject. "You're living a life that's centered around you and …that's not the type of world I'm willing to leave behind for my kids and my grandkids. Just not something I'm willing to accept. It's very disheartening. Very disheartening."

Follow Star reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.