(CNN) NBA sensation and father of two Stephen Curry reacted this week to the Stoneman Douglas High school shooting, saying that the death of 17 people was "tough to digest."
"Obviously as a parent, thinking about the world that you want your kids to grow up in and trying to protect them at all cost, that hits home. And you obviously feel for families that were affected," Curry said in an interview with CNN's Van Jones on "The Van Jones Show," airing Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Golden State Warriors' point guard praised the gun control activism that has taken place since the shooting, in a week that saw high school students walking out of their schools, holding rallies and directly confronting lawmakers in Tallahassee and Washington in a bid to ban weapons like the one used in the Florida massacre.
"I think there's a lot that's been said about change that needs to happen, and hopefully that conversation actually goes somewhere and we actually make an impact for the next generation to hopefully have a better world to live in," Curry told Jones.
The interview also covered the broader picture of American politics.
After Jones joked that Curry was "in a league that is famous for trash-talking," comparing it to whet he dubbed a similarly "braggadocios" leadership model in the White House, the NBA star said that the current administration could learn a thing or two from him.
"As a leader, I value what each person is and what each person brings to the table. I think that's something that the White House could maybe change a little bit and kind of adopt," he said.
"Everybody has a reason that they're here, has a value, has a worth ... to celebrate ... And I think that's important. That's what we do on our team and I think that's why we bonded and connected, and I think that's why we'll continue to grow," he contended.
Asked by Jones about President Donald Trump's September 2017 tweet rescinding an invitation to the White House after Curry publicly said he did not want to take part in the traditional NBA champions' presidential visit, the Warriors star said it was "surreal at the beginning." However, he emphasized that he now feels sure that a photo op with Trump would not have been the right thing for his team.
"If you're not going to celebrate the collective and the majority of Americans that are living in this country and that watch us play, and the fact that sports rallies all these different types of people, these different types of background together to celebrate the game ...I didn't want to go," he said.
"I think we could definitely use our time better when we go to DC," he added.
Curry told Jones that while the team is in the nation's capital next week, the Warriors plan on reaching "out to the youth" and celebrating "black history."
"We're going to have a direct impact on hopefully the next generation while we're there," he said.