Throughout the NBA Media Day yesterday, players and coaches around the league were asked to comment on everything from incoming rookies and expectations for the upcoming season to recent remarks made by President Trump regarding the national anthem protests and the Warriors' being "uninvited" from the White House.
When it comes to the latter, several players and coaches voiced their opposition to President Trump and his values, including San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who has never shied away from political and societal issues. Coach Pop, who typically gives sideline reporters very little to work with, was open and honest about his feelings about the current state of our country.
In regards to President Trump rescinding the Warriors invitation to visit the White House (even though Steph Curry had already denied the request in the first place) Popovich says it's "comical because they weren't going anyway."
In other interviews, Popovich spoke about white privilege, the "elephant in the room" that is race, and said our country is an embarrassment to the world.
Pop told reporters (H/T Bleacher Report),
"It's hard to sit down and decide that, yes, it's like you're at the 50-meter mark in a 100-meter dash. You've got that kind of a lead, yes, because you were born white. You have advantages that are systemically, culturally, psychologically there. And they have been built up and cemented for hundreds of years. But many people can't look at it, it's too difficult."
You can listen to his full comments on those subjects below.
This isn't the first time that Gregg Popovich has expressed his disdain for President Trump's behavior. Just days after the presidential election, Popovich spoke at length about his concerns for the country, outlining the president-elect's prejudice.
Per ESPN,
"I'm still sick to my stomach, and not basically because the Republicans won or anything, but the disgusting tenor and tone and all the comments that have been xenophobic, homophobic, racist, misogynistic," Popovich said. "And I live in that country where half the people ignored all that to elect someone. That's the scariest part of the whole thing to me."