Ahead of the Boston Celtics’ play-in game victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, the team’s Twitter account shared a photo of Kemba Walker arriving to the arena in his game-day attire.
The now-deleted tweet, which read, “Locked in for the Play-In,” showed Walker wearing a bright yellow button-down shirt with the “Don’t Tread On Me” Gadsden flag emblazoned on the back.
The flag, which dates back to the Revolutionary War, has since been displayed among various far-right groups, militias and white supremacists. During the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, for example, the Gadsden flag had a prominent presence among the insurrectionists.
Walker, though, was asked about the shirt after the game.
Kemba Walker was asked about wearing this jacket which has a flag associated with far-right politics. His answer made it pretty apparent he has no idea what it means, saying he liked the colors and the way it looked. No message meant by it. pic.twitter.com/BKSXFypFfr
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) May 19, 2021
According to GQ, Walker was wearing a $272 shirt by the brand Vetements, which specializes in “runway discomfort” and ironic forms of fashion. During the NBA bubble last year, James Harden wore a Thin Blue Line mask and claimed he was unaware of the far-right symbolism.
Walker would have a similar explanation.
When asked about the shirt after the game, Walker said he was confused by the question and claimed there wasn’t “any message behind the jacket.” He added that he chose the shirt to match his sneakers.
