San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, will go down in history as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all-time. As far as his political commentary? Gregg Popovich will go down in history as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all-time.
In an interview with Dave Zirin of The Nation, the coach who appears to be determined to unseat Michael Moore as the most unhinged anti-Trump voice on the left, called President Trump a “soulless coward.”
Popovich made those comments after hearing comments from President Trump earlier in the day, regarding calls to the families of fallen soldiers in Niger. After Trump said he wrote letters to the families of fallen soldiers over the weekend, and planned to call their families at a later time. Trump also said in a Monday press conference, “A lot of [former presidents] didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I’m able to do it.”
That comment set Popovich off.
Popovich said:
This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner–and to lie about how previous Presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers–is as low as it gets. We have a pathological liar in the White House: unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically to hold this office and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day. The people who work with this President should be ashamed because they know it better than anyone just how unfit he is, and yet they choose to do nothing about it. This is their shame most of all.
Popovich also accused the president of a campaign of “never ending divisiveness.”
As for Popovich, he has waged a campaign of never ending trash talk aimed at President Trump.
According to SB Nation, “(Popovich) said the election’s results gave him a sick stomach in November after Trump was elected. In May, he referred to the president’s tenure as a “game show.”
“On media day in September, Popovich said it was ‘comical’ that the president was rescinding the Warriors invitation to the White House because they weren’t going anyway. That same day he spoke about using his platform as an NBA head coach to rebuke white privilege and promote equality.”
Those comments represent only the tip of the iceberg for Popovich, who has obliged eager reporters with fiery anti-Trump takes whenever and wherever a microphone has materialized in front of him. While it’s probably too much to expect the NBA to reprimand Pop, if there ever were a time to at least slap a high-profile figure on the wrist, this would appear to be it.
Gregg Popovich, prior to Donald Trump’s election, was one of the most respected sports figures in America. No doubt he still holds that same place of esteem in the eyes of some. However, on a personal note, there may not be a sports figure in America that I’ve lost more respect for over the past year, than Gregg Popovich. Considering that this past year has been marred with anthem protests and athlete activism on a level never before seen, that’s saying something.