Two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors said on Friday that if it was up to him it would be a "short conversation" on whether or not the team should visit the White House. | Getty Trump slams Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry, withdraws White House invite

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he had withdrawn an invitation for the National Basketball Association champions Golden State Warriors to visit the White House after star player Steph Curry said that given the choice, he would not go.

"Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!" Trump wrote on Twitter, the latest in a series of early morning tweets.


At a rally in Alabama Friday, Trump targeted National Football League players protesting during the national anthem, saying team owners should fire players who "disrespect the flag."

On Saturday morning, this prompted a rebuke from both NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who without explicitly mentioning the president, said Trump's statements show a "lack of respect" for the league's players.

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Curry, a two-time NBA MVP, said during the team's media day on Friday that if it was up to him, nixing the traditional White House appearance would be a "short conversation."

"By not going, hopefully that will inspire some change in terms of what we tolerate in this country," Curry added.

In a later statement, the Warriors said that while the team had intended to meet this morning to reach a decision on whether to go to the White House, they "accept that President Trump has made clear that we are not invited."

"We're disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise," the team added.

Instead, the team said it will use its February trip to Washington to "celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion - values we embrace as an organization."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver later released his own statement.

“I was in favor of the team visiting the White House and thought it was a rare opportunity for these players to share their views directly with the President,” Silver said. “I am disappointed that that will not happen. More importantly, I am proud of our players for taking an active role in their communities and continuing to speak out on critically important issues.”

Before Saturday, Head Coach Steve Kerr previously said that regardless of one's views of the current president, including his own criticism of the commander-in-chief, the team would send a positive message by visiting the White House.

"I, like many of our players, am very offended by some of Trump’s words and actions," Kerry told a Bay Area sports talk radio host in June. "On the other hand, I do think there’s something to respecting the office, respecting our institutions, our government. And I think it could make a statement in a time where there’s so much divide and everybody seems to be angry with each other."

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James responded to the fracas by calling Trump a "bum" on Twitter. Without naming the president, James added that "going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!" James endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before the election and is close with former President Barack Obama.

As of Thursday, Kerr told ESPN that the team would reach a collective decision on whether or not to visit.

Shortly before the president's tweet, "Fox and Friends," one of Trump's favorite morning shows, aired a segment on Curry's comments.

The tweet drew a response from ESPN host Jemele Hill: "Welcome to the club, bro."

Trump called for ESPN to apologize after Hill described Trump as a "white supremacist" in a series of tweets earlier this month.