Trump taunt can’t faze Kerr
Warriors coach shrugs off criticism for not speaking out on China issue
A lot of people seem to be really mad at Steve Kerr right now.
He sees a tremendous irony in that.
“So, the same people who are asking me to stick to sports, are also asking me to expand my horizons?” Kerr pondered.
Thursday, for the first time since the president of the United States mocked Kerr for not voicing a specific opinion on the NBA’s ongoing controversy with China, saying the Warriors coach was “like a little boy who was so scared,” Kerr spoke to the media. He said he regretted not riding into his news conference on a tricycle.
Kerr again refused to take a stand on the rift that was prompted by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s sincedeleted tweet supporting Hong Kong protesters. In the wake of the tweet, Chinese companies have begun cutting ties with the league. The usually savvy NBA has come under fire for protecting its Chinese investment over free speech.
Many see hypocrisy in the league’s clumsy attempt to balance its image as an organization that supports political expression with its desire to protect the millions of dollars in revenue it receives from China, a country that suppresses individual expression.
Kerr has been outspoken on many American social issues, but has sidestepped calling out abuses in China, where he spent several weeks this summer with USA Basketball, where his league is heavily invested and where two of his stars — Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — have deep ties through their shoe sponsors. There is a web of connections, just as there is throughout American corporate culture.
“I will speak on things that I’m comfortable with, and I will do things I believe are helpful for my country,” he said. “I love my country despite what President Trump said yesterday. I work really hard on a lot of things off the floor. And one of those things is I don’t want people to feel what my family felt when my father was killed. That’s a passionate subject for me. This is part of my life.
“As far as North Korea, I don’t know much about North Korea. As far as the Ukraine situation, I don’t know that much about the Ukraine situation. We can go around the world if you want and I’ll pinpoint some other places.
“We’re fortunate in this country to have free speech and I exercise that. But part of having free speech is also electing not to speak if you don’t feel comfortable.”
You can call Kerr a hypocrite. He probably won’t mind. He believes that you have the right to your opinion.
But it would probably be a good idea to see all the hypocrisy in play. Like the fact that people are looking for guidance on global moral authority from a basketball coach.
Like the fact that most of our corporate giants are heavily invested in China and no one seems to be asking them for a moral stance on Hong Kong.
Like the fact that President Trump’s attack on Kerr and Gregg Popovich for deflecting questions about the China situation was Trump’s own way of deflecting a direct question about the China situation. Rather than answer, he took a shot at two basketball coaches.
Given all the allegations of election interference, perhaps the White House thinks that Kerr/Popovich 2020 is a real thing?
Kerr has a weird day on Wednesday. He was called out by Trump, then watched his beloved Dodgers be eliminated from the playoffs
Between those two events, he spent a lot of time thinking about the five presidents he has met at the White House. The first was Ronald Reagan. Kerr and his mother, Ann, visited with President Reagan and Vice President George Bush in the Oval Office after his father, Malcolm, was assassinated in Beirut.
“They thanked us for my dad’s service — my dad’s commitment to share American values and trying to promote peace in the Middle East,” Kerr said. “All I could think of last night was the contrast of what has happened in 35 years. It’s just sad that it’s come crashing down.”
This week wasn’t the first time that Trump belittled a Kerr. In a 1990 Playboy interview, Trump made a callous reference to Malcolm Kerr’s murder, insinuating that Kerr was asking for trouble by teaching in Beirut.
Kerr’s activism was shaped by his parents and one parent’s murder. He is impassioned about the problems he sees in his own country, problems he feels that he does — indeed — have some moral authority on.
“I feel comfortable talking about gun safety, it’s a cause near and dear to my heart and crucial for our future as a country,” Kerr said. “I’m going to comment on that. That’s my right. It’s why I love being an American. I’m able to channel my energy and my resources to where I feel comfortable. And there are places where I don’t feel so comfortable.”
You can call him a hypocrite if you want. But if you get mad at him for expressing some opinions, yet are now mad he won’t express one, well, you know what that makes you.