RELATED: Trump assassination attempt – what we know so far
USA basketball coach Steve Kerr and star player Stephen Curry expressed their shock at the attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump, lifting him to his feet after he ducked behind a podium. Gunshots could still be heard as the agents escorted him off the stage.
Images of a bloodied and fist-pumping Trump emerging defiant from the attempt on his life also mark a watershed moment in this year's election campaign.
Team USA are in Abu Dhabi to play two warm-up matches as part of their Olympic Games preparations. News of the attempt on Trump's life, a Republican running against Democratic President Joe Biden in this year's presidential election, has shaken the squad.
"I found out on my family group text," said Kerr, also the coach of the Golden State Warriors. "My family was all talking about it so at 5.30 in the morning ... That’s how I found out and of course immediately I went to different news sites to find out what happened."
The gunman was killed by law enforcement, and one spectator was killed and two others were critically injured. The shooter was later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania.
"Just a terrible, sad spectacle. Two people dying. It’s such a demoralising day for our country," added Kerr.
The Secret Service said the gunman had fired several shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue.
The agency said that the incident is being investigated by the FBI, but since then has offered few other details on the attack.
"It’s yet another example of not only our political division but also our gun culture," said Kerr. "A 20-year-old with an AR-15, trying to shoot the former president. It’s hard to process everything and it’s scary to think about where this goes because of the issues that already exist in the country. So this is a terrible day."
Curry added: "This is obviously a very sad time in general, all the conversations around the election and the state of politics in our country and then you have a situation like this, which just evokes a lot of emotions around things that we need to correct as a people."
Videos on social media appeared to show the gunman taking up his position on a building roof and bystanders shouting in an attempt to alert security.
Trump was rushed to the hospital with blood streaming from his right ear. He took to his Truth Social platform after the shooting and thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their rapid response.
The issue of gun control is one of many topics framing the election debate, and Curry said: "Because the fact that that’s even possible for somebody to kind of have an attack like that, but just more so, you want positivity and hope. It sounds cheesy but it’s real. That’s when our country is at its best. It just adds another blemish to what’s going on. So sad is just the word I can come up with."
The USA team play Australia at Etihad Arena on Monday before taking on Serbia two days later.
The matches are part of the team's preparations for a 17th bid at Olympic gold at the Paris Games, which begin July 26.
"This is a time where we feel very proud to represent our country, wearing USA on our chest, competing in the Olympics," said Kerr.
"We’ve talked to the players about how important it is to show the best version of us as human beings. To represent our country in a respectful manner, a dignified manner and it makes you want to do that even more so because this is really shameful for us to sit here and think about what happened and what’s going on in our country.
"Obviously what we’re doing is very trivial, we’re just playing basketball, but we want to put our best selves out there to try to give people a glimpse of what our country can be about and then you hear something like this and it’s just so demoralising. And obviously so sad. Two people killed, I mean, you imagine all their family and friends today, what they’re feeling. Thank God Trump wasn’t hit. But it’s so demoralising in every which way."
A star-studded USA squad that includes Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid, will be heading to London for two more exhibition games after Abu Dhabi, before flying to France to kick off their Olympics campaign in Lille.
Curry, 36, is hoping the team can encourage unity instead of the divisiveness he is witnessing across US politics right now.
“For us, we’re going to use it as a unifying moment to, again, use this platform and this opportunity to represent ourselves, our upbringings, our families, our country, to the best that we can,” said Curry.
“And hopefully that channels the right energy back home, when they’re watching us play. But I know that it’s bigger than that with what we’re dealing with. I just hope that it’s talked about in a way that’s trying to evoke progress. As opposed to where I feel like a lot of the conversation is more divisive.”
