Donald Trump: “I watch this guy Steve Kerr and he was like a little boy who was scared to even be answering the question. He wouldn’t answer the question and was shaking. He’ll talk about the United States very badly. I watched Popovich too but he didn’t look quite as scared. They talk badly about the United States but when it’s about China, they don’t want to say anything bad. I thought it was pretty sad actually. They pander to China, and yet to our own country, it's like they don't respect it. It's very sad."
President Donald Trump blasted Warriors head coach Steve Kerr for his lack of public response for the NBA’s ongoing saga with China that began with Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeting support for Hong Kong.
Kerr has been one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration in the world of sports, and is often touted as being one of the brightest and most connected political minds in the NBA.
However, on Tuesday, Kerr seemed rather tongue-tied, oblivious, and deliberately hushed on a mainstream subject that has turned into one of the biggest PR nightmares in sports history.
Trump said Kerr looked like a 'scared little boy' as he ducked questions on the matter, saying that it was 'pretty sad' that Kerr never has a problem talking badly about the United States, but was suddenly 'shaking' when it came to answering questions about China.
The NBA finds itself in uncharted territory attempting to reason with media black hole China, who has never attempted to see eye-to-eye with any Western values regarding free speech.
Many around the sport were awaiting a reaction from the brazenly opinionated Kerr regarding the topic, but Kerr almost expectedly punted on the questions as the NBA attempts to quell the hostilities with one of the world’s most intolerant superpowers.