Warriors to spend part of D.C. trip with local kids, as they won't be heading to White House

OAKLAND, Calif. -- With President Donald Trump tweeting last September that a White House invitation for the Golden State Warriors was "withdrawn," the reigning NBA champs have decided to go on a private tour of an undisclosed locale on Feb. 27 in their lone visit to the nation's capital, league sources told ESPN.

Head coach Steve Kerr left it up to the players to determine how they wanted to spend their time, and the players selected a venue in which local kids would join them. It will be closed off to the media, sources said.

The players wanted the outing to be a personal, intimate experience.

"It's their championship. They got disinvited to the White House, so it's up to them what they wanted to do. So they made their plans," Kerr told ESPN. "I want the players to have a good day and to do something positive and to enjoy what they're doing."

The tour will consist only of players, coaches and students, sources said.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forward Kevin Durant have been outspoken about the rhetoric and actions of Trump since he was voted into the Oval Office as the 45th president of the United States.

Before Trump revoked the Warriors' invite, the players were prepared to vote against visiting the White House, sources said.

"We're not trying to divide and separate this country," Curry said at the time of Trump's tweet. "We're trying to bring everybody together and speak about love and togetherness and equality. I think that was demonstrated in response to what happened this morning, which is a powerful thing for sure."

The Warriors considered several options for the upcoming trip to Washington D.C., including a visit to Durant's hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland, sources said.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, two members of the Democratic Party, extended invites to the Warriors to celebrate winning their second championship in three years at the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi represents a congressional district that includes San Francisco.

But a consensus emerged around the option agreed upon because the players didn't want to be seen as politicizing an event.

"At the end of the day, it's about us celebrating a championship, so there's no point in getting into the political stuff and all that," forward Draymond Green told ESPN. "It's about something we did great. Why make it about [politics]?"

The Washington Wizards will host the defending champs on Feb. 28.