OAKLAND — In the realm of the NBA, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has been one of Donald Trump’s most vocal critics. That trend continued on Sunday.
Prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Popovich was asked whether he found himself distracted in recent months concerning Trump and the unusual state of the country. The 68-year-old Popovich did not hold back.
“To this day, I feel like there’s a cloud, a pall, over the whole country in a paranoid, surreal sort of way,” Popovich said. “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. Everything that happens begins and ends with him — not our people or our country. Every time he talks about those things that’s just a ruse — that’s just disingenuous, cynical and fake.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has also levied occasional criticism of Trump this season.