By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Gregg Popovich began his statements by cracking a joke and telling journalists to go ahead and ask him what they did 15 years ago. One classic “Pop Moment”.
But the five-time NBA champion is better defined by voicing his opinion on matters that others are hesitant, perhaps afraid to even touch and by never shying away from discussing major issues of the society he lives in.
That’s why after welcoming journalists in a humorous fashion, things soon got on a more serious and thought-provoking route when he was asked his opinion on sports and politics getting intertwined perhaps more than ever before in the USA. NFL players kneeling during the national anthem as a protest for increasing racist incidents and Donald Trump’s comments about it was given as an example.
“I’m going to say what we say in our team. Each one of them has the right and the ability to say what they would like to say, and act the way they would like to act,” Popovich said. “They have our full support. No matter what they might want to do or not do. It is important to them to be respected by us, and there is no recrimination no matter what might take place unless it’s ridiculously egregious.”
“The bar has been lowered so far that I think it’s more important to be thinking about what to do in a more organic root, base level,” Popovich commented. “Thinking about the efforts to restrict voter registration, comments that demean cultures, ethnic groups, races, women. Those sorts of things.”
On Trump withdrawing his White House invitation to Stephen Curry, Pop said, “I thought it was comical that it was rescinded because they weren’t going to go anyway,” Popovich said. “It’s like a sixth grader is going to have a party in his backyard and he finds out somebody might not come, so he disinvites them. Although it’s disgusting, it’s also comical.”
“Our country is an embarrassment in the world”, he added.