Garrett Temple returns home to Baton Rouge to try to make a difference
Garrett Temple wants to use his influence to help people in his hometown.
The 6-foot-6 guard, who just signed with the Sacramento Kings, has a heavy heart over the growing racial tension across the U.S. spurred by recent acts of violence between cops and civilians.
The police shootings of African-American men Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and the gunning down of five law officers at an otherwise peaceful BLM protest in Dallas have left Temple so depressed that he disabled news notifications on his phone.
That didn't stop news from getting to him, though. He was informed via text about three police officers who were murdered in a shooting Sunday morning. That incident, along with Sterling's death, especially hit home for Temple because they happened in Baton Rouge, La., where he's from and has an offseason home.
"Killing cops is no answer at all. Killing is not right at all," he told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I'm a God-fearing man. I pray for my city. I am praying for the world right now. There has been something bad going on in the world every day of late."
The LSU alumnus is so familiar with the area that he wasn't surprised by the news of police killing Sterling. Growing up in Baton Rouge, which he admits is "not the most progressive city in the country," Temple was harassed by white cops while his brother was a victim of police brutality. Although he didn't know Sterling personally, he'd seen him before.
"I reached out to several police officers to have a conversation on what happened (to Sterling)," the 30-year-old said. "Ten out of 10 said what happened was wrong. Nine out of 10 said it should not have come to that. ... Those type of police officers should not be on the force."
His goal is to reach out to former NBA player Tyrus Thomas, who's also from Baton Rouge, and local politicians in an effort to make a difference.
"I got to go back to Baton Rouge," Temple said. "I can't run from it. You got to do whatever you can to help solve the problem. People who have voices have to do what they can to help their city."
The swingman averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists for the Washington Wizards last season.