Wednesday 22 July 2020 14:45, UK
San Antonio Spurs urged people to educate themselves on the history of US social injustice and vowed to ensure the momentum of anti-racism protests will not stop.
The San Antonio Spurs coach, wearing a T-shirt that read 'Vote, your life depends on it', appeared on TNT's The Arena, a five-night live documentary event focused on discussing stories and issues around the game of basketball.
Popovich has previously stated he believes the resumption of the NBA season at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in central Florida is an opportunity for the league, players and coaches to do something transformative with regard to fighting social injustice and he expanded on his message.
"It is our responsibility and a necessity (to do that) considering what is going on in our country," he told host Cari Champion. "Hopefully, the realisation by many people, mostly white, who begin to understand what it has been like for the black population.
"Adam Silver and the NBA have done a tremendous job in putting (the season restart) together. I don't know if there is a safer place on Earth than where we are right now. Since we are here and we are going to play some games, we have a responsibility to keep the conversation going. That is going to be a mantra for all of us. Players, coaches, GMs, everybody that is here is going to stick to that because this is an opportunity to make sure this momentum does not stop."
Popovich has never shied away from talking about social issues and was asked by Champion how his conversations on that topic with his players had gone since the Spurs arrived at the NBA bubble.
"I know it is going great with all the teams in and out of the bubble. By out I mean the people who are not here," he said.
"I have to give credit to (Atlanta Hawks head coach) Lloyd Pierce. He has put together a committee of coaches to make sure we are all understanding the fact that we have to do anything possible to educate in those 30 NBA cities. He has been working night and day to put a programme together along with other organisations (including) Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice programme, President Obama's foundation, that sort of thing.
"We, along with the players, have committed to making sure that on a daily basis (the topic of fighting for social justice) is upfront and at the forefront of everybody's mind."
The 71-year-old Popovich is - along with Houston Rockets' Mike D'Antoni and New Orleans Pelicans' Alvin Gentry - among a group of coaches whose age placed them in the highest-risk group with regard to coronavirus. He was asked by fellow Arena guest Charles Barkley about his level of concern for his health inside the bubble.
"I am (concerned). I don't want to die," Popovich said. "I wear my mask all the time, I took it off to talk to you guys. If you have half a brain, you have to take this seriously and understand that people of all ages are coming up with this disease and the older you are the more susceptible you might be and even if you get through it, it seems like there are long-lasting complications.
"It behoves each of us who might be a little bit older to take it seriously. I wear my mask in practice and I only take it off when I've got something to say because I am concerned."
Popovich was asked to return to the topic of race by Arena panellist Draymond Green. The Golden State Warriors All-Star talked about "hardly ever being around white people" during his childhood in Saqinaw, Michigan. He asked Popovich for his thoughts on how white and black communities can bridge the gap to forge greater understanding of one another.
"It's a great question and my answer might seem a bit trite," the Spurs coach responded. "When you get down to the root of everything, it is all about learning and educating. Really learning and understanding other peoples' situations is where it begins. There has got to be that discussion. We are all in a sense clueless to things that don't really affect us.
"Laura Ingraham, the lady who told LeBron to shut up and dribble, said a quote that it became political and all the statues had to come down but nobody was paying any attention. Think about that statement. I don't know if she meant harm or not. I don't know if she was trying to inflame. But it is a clueless comment by a white person because the white people probably didn't pay any attention to it because it didn't affect them when they walked by a confederate statue every day.
"That is the education I am talking about. To understand what other people go through. You have to have that discussion with people before they can understand. And you have to educate.
"With all of our 30 organisations that is where it begins. Before you go out and pontificate, you have to make sure your own house is in order and the people in your organisation feel comfortable in their environment. That's what has to happen for the long run.
"In the meantime, we want to talk about police brutality, the difference in pay, the wealth gap, reparations, all these things but if we don't educate, if the text books don't change, if we don't all learn things in school… the young black players on my team didn't know about (the 1921) Tulsa (race massacre). They didn't know that between the end of the Civil War and about 1950 there were 6,500 lynchings. I didn't know that. Nobody told us that stuff. People have to know why we are where we are at.
