Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry is just one of those ridiculously likable celebrities who manages to speak out on issues of social justice without being problematic. (Not to mention, his objective beauty and poster-dad/hubby status seriously compound this appeal — but that’s all child’s play relative to the whole advocacy thing).

The 2018 NBA MVP further impressed over the weekend when he penned an essay for The Players’ Tribune in commemoration of Veterans’ Day weekend.

In “The Noise,” Curry discusses his admiration for veterans and desire to draw attention to their many plights. But in the beginning of his piece, he sets the record straight on a controversial issue that has placed veterans in the limelight.

A disappointing number of Americans have contorted the intentions behind protests against police brutality during the national anthem as a sign of disrespect to the American flag and consequently, veterans. The interpretations are a grandiose stretch and distraction from the true purpose of the protest — and Curry weighed in on the discussion:

“I know what I believe in, and I know what I stand for. And I know what I stand against. But when someone tells me that my stances, or athlete stances in general, are “disrespecting the military” — which has become a popular thing to accuse peaceful protestors of — it’s something that I’m going to take very, very seriously. One of the beliefs that I hold most dear is how proud I am to be an American — and how incredibly thankful I am for our troops. I know how fortunate I am to live in this country, and to do what I do for a living, and to raise my daughters in peace and prosperity. But I also hear from plenty of people who don’t have it nearly as good as I do. Plenty of people who are genuinely struggling in this country. Especially our veterans.

And every single veteran I’ve spoken to, they’ve all said pretty much the exact same thing: That this conversation we’ve started to have in the world of sports … whether it’s been Colin (Kaepernick) kneeling, or entire NFL teams finding their own ways to show unity, or me saying that I didn’t want to go to the White House — it’s the opposite of disrespectful to them.

A lot of them have said, that even if they don’t totally agree with every position of every person, this is exactly the thing that they fought to preserve: the freedom of every American to express our struggles, our fears, our frustrations, and our dreams for a more equal society.”

Curry then went on to explain why he feels compelled to use his platform as a tool for championing veterans and bringing attention to the disadvantages faced after returning from the military such as PTSD, homelessness, brain injuries and the state of the VA medical system.

The basketball player has also invested his time in fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS, hunger and poverty.