Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden quoted new Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers in a speech Tuesday in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
In calling for national unity, the former vice president referenced Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the back by a white police officer on Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rivers, who was coaching the LA Clippers in the NBA bubble when the shooting occurred, spoke emotionally about the incident and the current state of racial affairs in the country after a Clips win on Aug. 24.
His words were recalled Tuesday by Biden: "Doc Rivers, the basketball coach, choking back tears when he said, 'We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We've been hung. It's amazing how we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back.'
"I think about that. I think about what it takes for a Black person to love America. That is a deep love for this country that has for far too long never been recognized."
Rivers on Wednesday said he was honored to have been quoted by Biden.
"These are human rights issues that we are fighting for," Rivers said in a statement Wednesday. "Every American should want social justice for all regardless of race, gender or political beliefs."
Rivers was introduced as the Sixers' new coach on Monday. He was fired by the Clippers last week after seven seasons.
