San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich criticized the “book ban culture” Monday before the team's game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Popovich began his media availability by praising Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the day the famous leader is honored. He was then asked about lawmakers allegedly trying to ban the books and what he was doing off the court to educate players about the history.
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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reacts during the Cavaliers game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Jan. 7, 2024. (David Richard-USA Today Sports)
“These days and where we've been for a long time, we've gotten a lot more satisfaction from our jobs in San Antonio,” Popovich said. “And I think that's spread throughout the league as time has gone on, making sure we spend time with the players with history lessons about people, events, things that have happened, because I think that's been largely lost. . degree.
“I mean, even black friends I know would say, 'I didn't know such and such until I was 32.' Well, none of us, black or white, were taught that for a long time, so it's not a surprise , but now that we have this book ban culture on the rise, we have to fight against it, because if we don't fight it, if we don't inform, if we don't teach basketball things off the court, it doesn't mean much, but off the court It's important because there's a void there, and it's an intentional void at this point.”
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with guard Tre Jones during the Pistons game at Little Caesars Arena on January 10, 2024 in Detroit. (Rick Osentoski-USA Today Sports)
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Popovich added that he was trying to change the negative connotation around the term “woke.”
“So, we can't let it become normal. When it becomes normal, then we have real problems. And I think that's the goal in many ways, to change the status quo of so-called 'wokeness.' “It means you're alive. It means you're paying attention. Now, some people may exaggerate to a certain extent in a certain way. But in general, awakened should be a positive term.”
The Spurs have one of the youngest teams in the league. Ten of their players were born in 2000 or later.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with center Victor Wembanyama before the Mavericks game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 23, 2023. (Kevin Jairaj-USA Today Sports)
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San Antonio ultimately lost to the Hawks, 109-99. The team is 7-32 on the year.
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