President Donald Trump's comments Monday about Bahamians didn't sit well with Warriors guard Klay Thompson.
Bahamians are seeking refuge in the United States after Hurricane Dorian ravaged their Island last month, and Trump called some of them "very bad people" and "gang members," among other things.
Thompson was "hurt" by these words, as his father Mychal was born in the Bahamas.
“I didn’t appreciate the language (Trump) used with Bahamians,” Klay told USA Today. “They’re gang members and criminals? I’ve known Bahamians my whole life. Yes, there are criminals in Nassau. But there are criminals worldwide. When you lose everything, your home, your loved ones and thousands are dead, and then you generalize a whole population, I thought it was very very ill advised and bad timing. That language really pissed me off.”
Mychal also had thoughts about Trump's comments.
“He’s wrong about the gang affiliations over there,” Mychal said. “There are people over there that are good people. Hard-working people. So he was wrong with that statement. I don’t think (other) Americans have misconceptions about Bahamians. We don’t have gang problems and that type of hard problems in the Bahamas. We have people who are in need and in poverty. But for the most part, Bahamians are great people and help each other out in times of need. That’s what they’re doing right now.”
Although Thompson family members residing in Nassau were spared from the storm's damages, Klay and his father are working to help those affected.
The Thompson family held its second annual Thompson Family Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament on Thursday and Friday in Newport Beach, California.
All proceeds from the event at the Resort at Pelican Hill will go toward relief efforts in the Bahamas, and Mychal Thompson says the foundation should be able to contribute at least $1 million to the cause.
“It’s hard to even put it in perspective,” Klay said. “If I can raise awareness and get money to get supplies to these people and their families, it’s the least I can do. I’m just honored to be in this position.”