Minnesota GOP Endorses Ex-NBA Player Royce White to Run for Senate — As White’s Wild Past Comments Resurface Online

Ahmad Austin Jr.May 20th, 2024, 1:35 pm
 
Royce White

CBS

The Minnesota GOP on Saturday announced its endorsement of former NBA player Royce White to run against Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

White attended the GOP convention at St. Paul’s RiverCentre when he learned he won more than 67% of the vote to challenge Klobuchar. He was introduced at the event with a video by former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon — a supporter of White.

The upcoming campaign will not be White’s first step into the world of politics. Two years earlier, he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary to face Rep. Ilhan Oman (D-MN).

White’s NBA career was cut short due to his severe anxiety preventing him from flying. He also had brief stints with Canada’s National Basketball League and Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball league.

Years before his political career, White was a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. He’s since expressed more conservative views and now endorses Trump.

During his time in the Big3, White famously wrote political messages on his head for viewers at home to see. That included messages like “Trump won” — referring to the 2020 election — and “Protect RFK Jr.”

White doesn’t shy away from more inflammatory remarks. He once claimed that he’d still not vote for a Democrat even if Trump went on stage and relieved himself in front of an audience.

The 33-year-old has insulted prominent Republican figures, as well. He referred to former Vice President Mike Pence as a “cuck” and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie “fat as fuck.”

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