Warriors’ Kerr thanks Obama for work on gun control

And on this cool, gray Thursday in the nation’s capital, the National Basketball Association champion Warriors were the guests of honor as the president extolled their virtues in the official ceremony that awaits every champion in American professional sports.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., right, talks with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif.as they wait for start of a ceremony where President Barack Obama honored the 2015 NBA Champions Golden State Warrior basketball, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

“Now, it is rare to be in the presence of guys from the greatest team in National Basketball Association history”, Obama said.

Obama also gave Warriors assistant Luke Walton props for leading Golden State to a 39-4 mark as Kerr sat out the season’s first half following complications from an offseason surgery.

Obama, who has made curbing gun violence a priority, noted in his remarks in the East Room of the White House that the Warriors “had players take a stand” against it, prompting applause from the crowd.

Kerr was on the Bulls’ 1995-96 squad that went an NBA-record 72-10 and the following season’s team that went a second-best 69-13.

More specifically, Obama had jokes.

Obama imitated Curry’s spinning celebration during a 51-point performance the previous night in a win at Washington.

The president also left the Warriors’ other sharpshooter Klay Thompson red-faced with a couple of zingers, although ended with praise at Curry’s expense.

“Consider this a symbol of an offer that’s coming”, Kerr said as he presented Obama with the jersey and the president demonstrated his shooting form.

“If they play Draymond Green at the 5-spot, it’s always gonna be challenging to any frontcourt player”, Donovan said.

And Obama gave the players something to compete over, saying shooting guard Thompson’s “jump shot is actually a little prettier”. “They’re certainly not gonna play that way for 48 minutes, but that’s what makes them unique: They have the ability to throw out a lot of different lineups, in particular a really small one”.

“In their commitment to the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, promoting mentoring in the Bay Area and nationwide, the team even met with some students in the White House mentoring program before the event”.