By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Coach Gregg Popovich is one of the most respected people not only in the basketball community, but in the sports world in general.
And this kind of respect can only grow when he speaks about topics that have to do with the world and the state we are living in general. “I think race is the elephant in the room in our country. The social situation that we’ve all experienced is absolutely disgusting in a lot of ways”, said the new coach of the USA national team when he was asked about the current situation in the United States.
According to Popovich, things may are already out of hand and control has been lost: “It’s easier for white people because we haven’t lived that experience. It’s difficult for many white people to understand the day-to-day feeling that many black people have to deal with. It’s not just a rogue policeman, or a policeman exerting too much force or power, when we know that most of the police are just trying to do their job, which is very difficult. I’d be scared to death if I was a policeman and I stopped a car.”
And of course, if the San Antonio Spurs want to protest, Popovich is the last man who would tell them not to: “My players are engaged citizens who are fully capable of understanding what their values are, and what they think is appropriate and inappropriate, and what they feel strongly about. Whatever actions may or may not be taken are their decisions, and I’m not going to tell anyone ahead of time that if they don’t do A, B and C, they’re going to be gone or traded. I think that’s ignorant.”
Here’s the full transcription of Popovich’s words on the matter by “mySA”.