Gregg Popovich, the legendary head coach of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, has been a very vocal critic of the current white supremacist in office, Donald Trump. At the Spurs’ “Media Day” for the upcoming season, Popovich explained his organization’s policy is supporting players’ opinions in whatever way possible. He explained that the bar in our country has been so lowered that we have come to expect the grotesque levels of inhumanity coming down from our executive branch.
We all know the situation. And it gets beaten up every day by talking heads … and we all know why, we all know where the source is—where a lot of the division comes from—but to dwell on that sometimes, I think, is the wrong way to go. Because it’s so obvious now it’s boring. you know, the childishness, and the gratuitous fear-mongering and race-baiting has been so consistent that it’s almost expected.
Popovich talked about the need to build the grassroots organization in our country to make sure we rid ourselves of this hate and ignorance. Turning to the recent statements by a few NASCAR owners, saying they would fire anyone who didn’t stand for the flag, Popovich had this to say:
Our country’s an embarrassment in the world. This is an individual that actually thought that when people held arms during the games that they were doing it to honor the flag. That’s delusional. Absolutely delusional, but it’s what we have to live with.
So you got a choice; we can continue to bounce our heads off the wall with his conduct, or we can decide that the institutions of our country are more important, that people are more important, that the decent America that we all thought we had and want is more important, and get down to business at the grassroots level and do what we have to do.
You can watch coach Popovich’s full press conference below.