SALT LAKE CITY – Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich shared his thoughts on the importance of Black History Month before San Antonio’s game at Utah on Monday night.
Popovich has long been outspoken about several social issues in the past and was asked before the game about the NBA’s efforts to promote Black History Month, and the influence the league has on equality and diversity.
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“I think its pretty obvious -- the league is made up of a lot of black guys, so to honor that and understand it is pretty simplistic," Popovich said. "How would you ignore that? But more importantly, we live in a racist country that hasn’t figured it out yet and it’s always important to bring attention to it, even if it angers some people. The point is that you have to keep it in front of everybody's nose so that they understand it, that it still hasn't been taken care of, and we have a lot of work to do.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on why it's important for the NBA to promote Black History Month: "We live in a racist country… And it's always important to bring attention to it, even if it angers some people." pic.twitter.com/RCCs7rSJix
— ABC News (@ABC) February 13, 2018
Despite heavy criticism and backlash at times, Popovich has not held back when discussing what he perceives as social injustices, race-relations and political issues.
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Much of that backlash has come from his public comments criticizing President Donald Trump.
High profile NBA players such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry have supported Popovich and it appears he will continue to be one of the most outspoken head coaches not only in the NBA but in all professional sports.