San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich always speaks his mind. The legendary coach served as the voice for the Spurs Saturday afternoon, in an emotional statement about the protesting occurring nationwide about police brutality and the importance of Black lives.
“For white people to see how nonchalant, how casual, just how everyday-going-about-his job, so much so that he could just put his left hand in his pocket, wriggle his knee around a little bit to teach this person some sort of a lesson — and that it was his right and his duty to do it, in his mind,” Popovich said.
In moments of the statement Coach Pop would pause, seemingly fighting back his own emotions.
He added, “I think I’m just embarrassed as a white person to know that that can happen. To actually watch a lynching. We’ve all seen books, and you look in the books and you see black people hanging off of trees. And you, are amazed. But we just saw it again. I never thought I’d see that, with my own eyes, in real time.
“Us as white people, we have to do it. Black people have been shouldering this burden for 400 years. The only reason this nation has made the progress it has is because of the persistence, patience, and effort of black people.”
You can see the full statement below.
