NBA Players Celebrated ‘A New Day In America’ With Joe Biden’s Inauguration

Most of the sports world went quiet on Wednesday morning while the festivities surrounding Joe Biden’s inauguration played out in Washington, D.C., but as Biden went to work at the White House, players around the NBA took to social media to express their optimism and hope for 2021 and beyond.

Portland center Jusuf Nurkic put it most succinctly when he said it was a “new day” in his adopted country.

The often outspoken Enes Kanter sounded a similar note of optimism.

While the focus was on the path forward on Wednesday, legendary sixth man Jamal Crawford took one last chance to needle former President Donald Trump, who was notably absent from the inauguration after flying to Florida on Wednesday morning.

It’s clear that many NBA players really did tune in for the broadcast as well, with Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum praising how good the Obamas looked.

Steph Curry, meanwhile, praised the poem read by Amanda Gorman, which received praise in seemingly every corner of the internet on Wednesday.

Finally, ESPN analyst and NBA champion Kendrick Perkins laid out an elaborate analogy between Joe Biden taking office and Simba reclaiming Pride Rock for the lions in The Lion King.

As more athletes continue to make their voices heard about politics over the past 12-18 months, more players and coaches will likely chime in over the coming days and weeks, especially in the NBA.