The NBA is on a decline, and the numbers are backing up these claims. Games are averaging 1.4 million views across multiple platforms, which is a decline of 19% (which would be a whopping 25% if the numbers for NBA TV were included). While there can be a long argument on what could be the cause for this, critic and sports journalist Jason Whitlock had his list of top reasons, and part of that list are coaches who had not been shy to express their strong political beliefs.
In one of the recent editions of this show “Fearless,” Jason Whitlock called out Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and described them as “the AOC and Barack Obama of the NBA.”
“Steve Kerr and Greg Papovich [those two are] basically the AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) and Barack Obama of the NBA,” Whitlock said. “It’s their job to take a dump on America and tell everybody how racist and unfair America is and how everybody’s a victim.”
Whitlock went on to show his disdain towards the coaches, who have spent opportunities in their post and pre-game interviews to express their political opinions to the NBA audience.
“[I] can’t stand them,” he continued. “I mean, these guys in their little postgame press conferences or pregame press conferences where they just dump on America—no one likes that. Jason McIntyre is blaming Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal and I’m like we got two coaches whose entire brand is ‘America’s a racist garbage place and half of you voted for a guy that I think is Adolf Hitler.’”
Whitlock added: “I don’t want to hear these gym coaches with whistles around their necks that think they’re political experts. They’re a group of idiots and sellouts and they’re MK Ultras. No one likes them.”
Steve Kerr “Disrespecting” NBA Commissioner
Jason Whitlock was not the only personality who called out Warriors coach Steve Kerr for his use of the league as a platform to express his political views. Entrepreneur and podcast host Patrick Bet-David also called out the coach for the same reason and said how Steve Kerr has been “disrespecting” NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
“Adam Silver, it’s on you,” Bet-David said, talking about the viewership decline of the NBA. “I put it on you, I put it on you for walking on eggshells around guys like LeBron, walking on eggshells around guys like Steve Kerr. They don’t respect you, Adam Silver. They don’t look at you as a commissioner.”
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