San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich had some choice words for President Donald Trump on Sunday, calling the ex-reality TV star’s actions game-show like before his team’s opening Western Conference Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
Gregg Popovich lighting into Donald Trump about how he conducts himself: "It's a game show" pic.twitter.com/kLyUYtg3Xi
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 14, 2017
“Usually things happen and you go to work and you got your family and you do what you do. But to this day I feel like there’s a dark cloud, a pall over the whole country. It’s got nothing to do with the democrats losing the election. It’s got to do with the way one individual conducts himself. And that’s embarrassing. It’s dangerous to our institutions, and what we all stand for and what we expect the country to be. But for this individual, he’s in a game show. And everything that happens begins and ends with him. Not our people or our country; every time he talks about those things, it’s just a ruse. That’s just disingenuous, cynical and fake.”
Popovich’s comments come days after president Trump fired FBI director James Comey, who had an open investigation into Trump’s relations with Russia. It isn’t the first time Pop or another NBA head coach has been outspoken about the president’s antics.
The Spurs’ coach told reporters he was “sick to his stomach,” when then president-elect Trump was first elected in November. In late January, he questioned president Trump’s credibility, saying “you can’t trust anything that comes out of his mouth.”
Pop isn’t the only head coach to openly speak out on the president. Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy said he’d have a hard time playing in front of Detroit fans who voted for Donald Trump. He also praised players who opted against staying at Trump hotels during road trips to opposing teams and hoped the NBA’s diverse roster pool would speak out against Trump’s travel ban, which was eventually shot down. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also spoke out against Trump’s travel ban, calling it a “horrible idea,” and said he was both “disgusted” and “disappointed” with the election process.