Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert: I won't visit a Trump White House

Iman Shumpert says if the Cavaliers win the NBA championship he won't join them for any ceremony at the White House while Donald Trump is president.

Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert says if Cleveland wins the NBA championship he won't join his team for any ceremony at the White House while Donald Trump is president.

Trump won the presidential election earlier this month and it immediately sparked conversation about whether athletes would abstain from participating in the traditional visit in light of Trump's previous controversial comments about minorities and women. ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose said he thinks some professional athletes will skip the festivities because of the Trump presidency.

Teams are generally invited to the White House to be recognized for winning championships. 

"I understand people’s stance on Trump. I can’t get caught up in the racial, sexist bulls--- he’s got going on," Shumpert told Complex Magazine. "That’s his personal thing, ya dig?"

"But I just don’t think he can make anything shake like that. He not finna start no civil war out here. I do think he’s crazy—straight up. I think he did that stuff to get people to think he’s willing to shake it up. But did I vote for him? No. The other stuff that comes with him, I can’t get with. But now that he’s here, I’m not finna drag my feet. I gotta work here, at least until the off-season, if I wanna go get a crib in the Islands."

Shumpert was then asked if he would go to the White House should the Cavaliers win the title again this season. Shumpert traveled with the Cavaliers when they visited President Barack Obama at the White House earlier this month in honor of their 2016 championship.

"I’m not going to the White House," Shumpert said.

Shumpert is averaging 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15 games this season for Cleveland, which has the best record in the Eastern Conference.

– Scooby Axson