Trump says some NBA players are very nasty, very, very nasty and, frankly, very dumb
The standoff between President Trump and NBA players isn’t ending anytime soon.
Trump, who has been at odds politically with NBA players and coaches since taking office, said in an interview with Clay Travis on Fox Sports Radio’s “Outkick the Coverage” that he hadn’t heard their criticism of him, but he added that he “wouldn’t be that surprised. Some are very nasty, very, very nasty and, frankly, very dumb.”
The president weighed in on a number of sports issues amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, offering his opinion on whether there should be a college football season and how other sports have fared as they have begun play. He praised golf, for example, but lashed out at the NBA.
In games since the NBA season resumed, players and coaches have knelt during the national anthem, worn “Black Lives Matter” shirts and replaced the names on their jerseys with messages about police brutality and social injustice. More than 300 players — with a few exceptions — have locked arms and knelt before games in the bubble at Disney World.
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The act echoed demonstrations in other leagues, including recently in MLB and the NHL, that began in 2016 with NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Trump has consistently spoken out against such acts. NBA players, in their demonstrations, have been joined by coaches and even referees, with Commissioner Adam Silver opting not to uphold a long-standing league rule that requires players to stand during the anthem.
Trump believes that is hurting the NBA. “I think basketball is not working because of the way they treated our flag and anthem,” he told Travis.
“It’s been horrible for basketball. Look at the basketball ratings,” he continued. “They’re down to low numbers, very, very low numbers.”
NBA viewership last week was down from its average before the pandemic forced the league to shut down but still outpaced those of MLB and NHL games televised last week, according to Sports Media Watch.
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“People are angry about it,” Trump continued. “They don’t realize they have enough politics with guys like me. They don’t need more as they’re driving down, going up for the shot. There was a nastiness about the NBA, the way it was done, too.
“I think that the NBA is in trouble. I think it’s in big trouble, bigger trouble than they understand. Frankly, the ice hockey, which is doing very well, they didn’t do that. They respected the mores, they respected what they’re supposed to be doing and they’re actually doing very well as I understand it. I actually don’t have much time to be watching this stuff, just so you understand. It’s just what I’m reading and what I’m seeing. … I did not like what baseball did even a little bit. Again, you have to stand for your flag and you have to respect your flag and your country.”
Travis asked Trump about the NBA’s financial stake in China and whether it was hypocritical for players to criticize him and demonstrate during the anthem while staying silent about human rights violations by China, with which the NBA does business. The Trump administration and the Chinese government have clashed on a number of issues.
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“I haven’t noticed them sending things back at me, but I will say that I wouldn’t be that surprised,” Trump said of criticism by NBA players. “Some are very nasty, very, very nasty and, frankly, very dumb. But I haven’t noticed that, but I will say this: The way they cater to China, the way they bow to China, it’s a disgrace, frankly, and they make a lot more money here than they do from China. But we have a system that allows you to disrespect your system and that’s too bad for them, too bad for them. They don’t appreciate what they have here.”
Members of the Golden State Warriors, including Coach Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry, along with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich, have been among Trump’s most outspoken critics in sports. According to Curry, players aren’t going to back down.
“My barometer is always, if the current president is upset about something that somebody’s speaking out on, then you’re probably saying the right thing,” Curry told the New York Times’ Marc Stein. “Whether they’ve knelt, or sacrificed an interview to talk about Breonna Taylor, or whatever’s important, they’re talking about it and they’re backing it up with action.”
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Like Curry, James wasn’t terribly concerned.
“I really don’t think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership,” James said. “The game will go on without his eyes on it. I can sit here and speak for all of us that love the game of basketball: We could [not] care less.”
Asked by Travis to settle the sports debate over whether Michael Jordan or James is the greatest player of all time, Trump’s answer was no surprise.
“Michael Jordan. I’ve seen them both,” he said. “Michael Jordan is … plus he wasn’t political, so people like him better.”
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