The NBA finds itself in a difficult situation following comments made by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
When asked about the debacle, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr avoided making any comments on the topic, similar to the response of San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. But President Donald Trump didn’t appreciate their quiet responses, especially coming from two of the league’s most outspoken coaches.
“Well the NBA is a different thing,” Trump began. “I mean, I watched this guy, Steve Kerr, and he was like a little boy who was so scared to be even answering the question. He couldn’t even answer the question. He was shaking, ‘Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know.’ He didn’t know how to answer the question. And yet he’ll talk about the United States very badly.
“I watched Popovich, sort of the same thing, but he didn’t look quite as scared actually,” Trump added. “But they talk badly about the United States, but when it talks about China, they don’t want to say anything bad. I thought it was pretty sad actually.”
When asked if he was OK with China pressuring the NBA, Trump referred back to Kerr and Popovich’s “sad” responses.
“They have to work out their own situation. The NBA is — they know what they’re doing,” Trump said. “But I watched the way that like Kerr, Popovich and some of the others, were pandering to China and yet to our own country, they don’t? — it’s like they don’t respect it. It’s like they don’t respect it. I said, ‘What’s the difference?’ Isn’t it sad. It’s very sad. To me, it’s very sad.”
Watch the full clip below, per ABC News:
