CLEVELAND — San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he believes that Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James “possibly has more impact off the court” through his social activism than he’s had as a basketball player, and encouraged James to continue to speak up.
“I don’t pick and choose what LeBron should talk about any more than any talking heads who try to pick and choose,” Popovich said Sunday, before the Spurs played the Cavs.
Popovich, who has coached the Spurs all 15 seasons that James has been in the league, faced him in the NBA Finals three times and was an assistant coach under Larry Brown when James played in the 2004 Olympics, took note of Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham’s recent criticism of James, saying he should “shut up and dribble” in response to comments by James in an ad for Uber — also featuring Kevin Durant and ESPN’s Cari Champion — that challenged President Donald Trump.
Popovich did not take kindly to Ingraham’s sentiments.
“To me, when I heard about that it was just an unbelievable show of arrogance for a talking head to try and tell someone else if they can speak, what they can speak about and when and where to do it,” Popovich said. “It’s just ludicrous, but [also] to not have a feel for who this guy is [is disappointing].
“I mean, think about when he came into public view, how young was he? And to this day he hasn’t missed a step, he hasn’t fallen off the ledge and he’s been a brilliant example for millions of kids, especially kids with lesser opportunity and haven’t had the same advantages as others. They see in this guy somebody who has consistently exhibited excellence in the workplace and gives them a voice and lets them know that you can speak about anything.
“There really is a First Amendment and you can have opinions — as a coach, as a plumber, as an astrophysicist and a lowly reporter. They can have whatever opinions they want, and that’s what’s amazing about this when you look at this guy, how many millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars he’s given, tens of millions of kids that are inspired by him. It’s kind of like the ‘Black Panther’ movie.
“How cool is that for kids to see that, to have that superhero? Well, LeBron’s been that for a long time. For somebody to be totally numb to that and attack him in such a childish way really speaks more volumes about that individual than it does LeBron. He’s very, very special. We should all be very proud that we have someone like that who’s willing to speak about a variety of topics and you listen to them all.”
The last time the Cavs played the Spurs — a 114-102 loss in San Antonio last month — James became the seventh player in league history to pass the 30,000 career points plateau and shared an embrace with Popovich after the game.
“I love Coach Pop,” James said at the time. “One of my favorite guys ever. Not only from the outside looking in at what he’s done with this franchise over the years, but getting the opportunity to spend so much time with him over the course of being part of USA Basketball since ’04. Admiring him, respecting him, being a competitor against him and his ballclubs. I love everything Pop represents both on and off the floor.”
Popovich returned the compliment on Sunday.
“It’s good to be here to be able to watch LeBron,” Popovich said. “I just have to make sure that I don’t just stare at him all night like I did when I first came in the league and played the [Chicago] Bulls. I’d just watch Michael [Jordan] the whole time and Larry Brown would elbow me like, ‘You going to do something?’ I said, ‘Coach, I’ve got to watch. I’ve got to see this guy.’ You get like that with LeBron, too, because he does so many things. And I hope he keeps speaking. I’m sure he will.”
What does the 69-year-old Popovich think about the way the 33-year-old James is keeping up?
“He’s obviously quite unique, quite special,” Popovich. “He’s done a great job of taking care of himself and he loves it enough to do whatever he’s got to do to maintain that excellence and he’s done it big time, that’s for sure.
“The physical part doesn’t really excite me that much. He obviously is a good athlete. There’s a lot of good athletes in the league. His innate understanding of the game and spatial awareness of everybody else on the court, what’s needed at a specific time because of the situation in a game, all those sorts of things are what make you more special. And beyond that, I think he even has possibly more impact off the court, what he does for other people and the way he speaks.”
James can opt out of his contract with Cleveland this summer, and the Spurs have been one of a handful of teams linked to the four-time MVP as a potential landing spot.
Popovich: LeBron should keep speaking out
Popovich: LeBron should keep speaking out
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Source: ESPN SPORTS