President Trump called Steve Kerr “scared” after the outspoken coach of the Golden State Warriors refused to criticize China in its ongoing feud with the NBA.
“I watched this guy, Steve Kerr. He was like a little boy,” Trump said Wednesday at a press conference. “He was so scared to even be answering the question.”
“And yet he’ll talk about the United States very badly,” the president added.
Kerr, 54, called the China-NBA feud a “bizarre international story” but would not answer any questions about it, saying he was not “well-versed” and was “trying to learn” more about it.
The outspoken coach has weighed in on hot political discussions on numerous occasions including gun control, NFL protests, immigration, and Trump. The Warriors general manager described Kerr as “a burning fire” when it came to him wading into political discussions. The Guardian said “no topic seems off limits” to the coach.
Kerr’s refusal to talk about China follows the country rebuking the NBA for standing by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who supports the Hong Kong freedom protests.
China cut business ties with the Rockets and suspended broadcast of NBA preseason games. The state-run media said there was “little room for reconciliation” with the NBA after the tweet.
