On Oct. 8, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris posted shots to their Instagram stories from Arizona — the same day the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris presidential campaign landed in Arizona.
It turns out, the timing was no coincidence.
Mitchell and Harris joined Sen. Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, in a roundtable discussion led by Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum for a PlayersTV episode of “ReMaking America,” which was scheduled to air Tuesday night. However, Sen. Harris posted the conversation to her YouTube page earlier Tuesday.
McCollum opened the discussion by asking Mitchell why it was so important for the Jazz guard to use his platform in the NBA bubble for something other than basketball. Mitchell answered by speaking about the importance of education and voting.
“That was really one of the biggest things for me going into the bubble,” he said. “The play was going to take care of itself, but I wanted to be able to give back knowledge. I think that’s what carries and goes a long way.”
Sen. Harris spoke at length about the importance of voting, especially within the Black community, touching on concerns over voter suppression, a cause that Mitchell championed along with other NBA players while in Orlando.
“That’s our power,” Harris said of the act of voting.
“There’s no reason a kid in the Bronx shouldn’t receive the same education, because of where he goes to school, as a kid in Connecticut. What is the Biden-Harris plan to help that?” — Donovan Mitchell
Vivint Smart Home Arena will be opened as a polling site on Election Day thanks to the efforts of NBA players pushing for league owners to open team-owned facilities for civic engagement.
Mitchell later expressed his concerns about educational equality, touching on his experience in both public and private schools.
“There’s no reason a kid in the Bronx shouldn’t receive the same education, because of where he goes to school, as a kid in Connecticut,” Mitchell said. “What is the Biden-Harris plan to help that?”
Harris applauded Mitchell for speaking about something she believes is one of the most critical and immediate needs of the country.
“Part of what the problem is that we fund public schools based on the tax base of that community,” Harris said. “That’s completely upside down. That doesn’t make any sense. That means that the schools that are getting the lowest funding are in the communities that have the highest need.”
Harris then outlined a plan in which funding for low-income schools would be tripled, as well as a push for more counselors in schools to help with poverty-related trauma.
The conversation also broached issues of police brutality, systemic racism, law enforcement reform, community equality and equity.
McCollum, who has long been involved in different journalistic endeavors, including radio, podcasting, writing and broadcasting, announced he would be producing and hosting “Remaking America” for PlayersTV in September.
PlayersTV is an athlete-owned network available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus that launched in March. The roundtable discussion of “Remaking America” with air Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. MDT.