A number of NBA players and coaches have been outspoken in recent weeks about the 2024 Presidential Election, and their comments have made headlines.

LeBron James and Steph Curry recently voiced their support for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did the same, calling Republican nominee Donald Trump “pathetic” and “a damaged man.”

In general, however, such political activity is down among players in 2024, according to NBA Players Association President CJ McCollum. The New Orleans Pelicans star talked with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears and explained his thoughts on the situation.

McCollum pointed out that the 2020 election, in which Democratic candidate Joe Biden defeated Trump, came at an unusual time. The George Floyd incident had caused outrage. The Covid pandemic had upended life, but it also gave players more time to find and share political information.

“There was more time to be aware,” McCollum told Spears. “You were doing nothing [during the pandemic] so you see everything and we exposed to everything. Everybody was locked in and everyone was sitting at home … information was being spread rapidly. Now, everyone goes back to work, people have their own lives, and they’re not necessarily as tapped in as they were historically. In 2020, the world stopped. Everyone paid attention.”

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr agreed with McCollum that fewer NBA players are speaking out this election. He said such trends in political activism ebb and flow.

“These things kind of go in spurts, in waves,” Kerr said. “Through most of my playing career, athletes didn’t really speak out politically at all. Four years ago, was a very heated time in the country with Covid, with the George Floyd murder. I think circumstances dictate a lot of that sort of activity whether its athletes or young people.

“That is kind of the history of our country. [During the] Vietnam [War], it went way up. That was coming on the heels of the civil rights movement with Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], [Muhammad] Ali and Jim Brown. Then there is a big lull. It’s kind of like everything else, it kind of comes and goes.”

Yet a number of NBA players have worked to promote voter participation in 2024. McCollum participated in a PSA with Jalen Brunson and Trae Young about the election.

Jalen Brunson, CJ McCollum & Trae Young on how your voice, your vote and your freedom of choice matter.

Get in the Game. Vote tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5th.

Visit https://t.co/vi3JIvbHnn to make your voting plan. pic.twitter.com/t6sRBOuW1q

— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2024

And McCollum went it alone Monday night before the Pelicans’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers, speaking to the crowd.

On the eve of the presidential primary, @CJMcCollum takes time before the Pelicans vs. Blazers game to speak about the importance of voting.@FOX8NOLA pic.twitter.com/vdb0LOhnrS

— Andrés Fuentes (@news_fuentes) November 5, 2024

Yet regarding why players don’t seem as politically active in the 2024 election, Kerr mentioned a factor on which many fans — and voters — can agree. Many people are tired of the seemingly endless stream of negative political commercials, finding their mailbox full of political flyers, arguments with family members and seeing analysts argue on TV.

“I kind of think there is some fatigue involved,” Kerr said. “At some point people just want to go on with their lives and live their lives. There is a lot of fluctuation because of that.”

[Andscape.com]