Another deadly mass shooting took place in Sutherland Springs, Texas yesterday, leaving multiple people dead and more than a dozen seriously injured. Reports yesterday indicated that, while the killer met his end during a chase with law enforcement officials, he left devastation in his wake. While those in the community are still trying to come to grips with the sad events that went down, members of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs tried to put into words their emotional reactions to the news after triumphing over the Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon.
As per USA Today, the team's coach Gregg Popovich didn't censor himself during a post-game interview, saying that winning a basketball game is "pretty meaningless" when considering the severity of the Sutherland Springs shooting. "When you think about the tragedy that those families are suffering, it's just inconceivable and impossible to put your head around," Popovich said. "So I think talking about basketball tonight is probably pretty inappropriate." The Spurs, whose home in San Antonio is less than an hour's drive from the church that saw its service interrupted by unspeakable violence, held a moment of silence before tipoff of Sunday night's game. Center Pau Gasol, 37 also expressed his "deepest condolences to the victims' families" via Twitter before taking the court.
“I think anyone and everyone has to be concerned about your own well-being,” Gasol, a native Spaniard, added later. “Any person in this country has to be concerned [...] Going to a concert, taking your kids to school, going to church. You name it. What can you do that you’re safe?" He continued by commenting on the repetitive nature of these kinds of events in the United States, which seem like an almost daily occurrence. "It’s not something every 20 years. It seems like it happens once every week or two weeks," added Gasol. "At what point do we say enough?"
In response to the incident, President Donald Trump said that mental health and not gun laws were the issue that led to this unfortunate tragedy.