As the nation turns its eyes to Washington, team departs on road trip
If you’re young, black and American — a description that fits 13 of the 15 Washington Wizards — the District is the place to be this week. But instead of witnessing Barack Obama’s historic inauguration, the Wizards are making like Republicans, and leaving town.
It’s not by choice. The NBA schedule mandates it. The Wizards departed Sunday afternoon for a four-game West Coast road trip.
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“It’s difficult. That was something I was really looking forward to,” said forward Caron Butler. “Seeing the whole thing on television is a little different.”
Playing in town this week is a logistic impossibility for the Wizards. The Caps also are on the road. So while Butler will watch Tuesday’s inauguration from a hotel room in Sacramento, his wife, Andrea, and Butler’s younger brother will attend the parade and swearing in.
“It’s just crazy to be [on a team] in the city and not be able to enjoy the moment,” said Butler.
But it’s also part of life in pro basketball.
“There’s a sense that, boy, it would really be nice to participate and see this personally,” said Tapscott. “But in the NBA you always have a job to do.”
The inauguration of the nation’s first black president might hold even more significance to Tapscott, 55, than his players.
“For a person of my generation, this is an event that’s been part of a process that’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I think you feel a great sense of personal satisfaction, a certain sense of national pride.”
