\u201cOf course,\u201d the reporter responded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d Rivers said.<\/p>\n
The reporter then asked Rivers he if regrets calling Good\u2019s death a \u201cstraight-up murder\u201d and was asked his definition of murder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t change [what I said] at all,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know my dad was a cop. My best friend is a cop and he\u2019s probably more upset about it than me. I thought \u2026 the training of ICE is horrible. We all know that. Being in Minnesota where there\u2019s 130,000 undocumented people, why not Texas where there\u2019s 1.7 million undocumented people?<\/p>\n
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\u201cLook at the NBA. We\u2019re celebrating Pioneers Day today. I look at our league and I think [Hakeem] Olajuwon could have been taken off the streets. But right now, the way Brown people feel, only the Brown people would be taken off the streets. And it\u2019s just not right and it\u2019s not morally right. So I stand by my words 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if he thought Brown people in America legally should be concerned about ICE, Rivers said: \u201cWe all should be. If you\u2019re walking down the street and Tom Homan, who is the head of ICE, just said they\u2019re targeting people by their color and if they can speak the language, if you\u2019re Brown, you\u2019re nervous because I don\u2019t see anybody going into the Ukrainian villages and arresting anybody.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll we can go by is what we see. That\u2019s all I can go by. Not saying I\u2019m 100 percent right about everything. I think everybody in this room wants a safer America. I don\u2019t know if what we\u2019re doing right now is making us safer. I know there\u2019s two people in Minnesota who would definitely disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rivers then touched on the importance of Pioneers Day. The trio of Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nat \u201cSweetwater\u201d Clifton each made their NBA debuts during the 1950-51 season. Lloyd was the first Black player to play in the NBA on Oct. 31, 1950. Cooper made his debut a day later, and Clifton four days later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I think Pioneers Day represents to me is America,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cRed Auerbach is responsible for our achievements as much as anyone else. He didn\u2019t see color. He wanted to make the league a better league and he kept doing it, hiring Bill Russell as coach. You think about this city that\u2019s had its ups and downs race wise, but you have this one guy and, I got it a little bit, but when you come here and coach here, you really get it with Red, what he was about. Pioneers Day for me, being the coach here for nine years, means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rivers said feels obligated to speak on social issues when he feels there is an injustice, and he admits it comes at a cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get into the politics or the economy or who feels what president is better, I don\u2019t get involved in that,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cI just think when things are morally wrong, it shouldn\u2019t be me. It should be everybody in this room, if you feel strongly about it. What we see on the streets right now, you cannot morally feel good about that, no American can. And that\u2019s why I speak out.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I do tell our [players] there are consequences. There was an Arthur Ashe. There was a Muhammad Ali. There was a Howard Cosell and they all spoke out. And some paid consequences for it. That\u2019s just part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe<\/a>.<\/p>\n