Gregg Popovich Calls for Politicians to 'Get Off Your Ass' After Uvalde Shooting

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich delivered an impassioned speech at a community gathering in support of Uvalde, Texas, demanding politicians take action on gun-law reform.

Popovich specifically called out Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and told state political officials to "get off your ass" in order to make change.

Before that, Popovich used his platform to talk about how after each massacre in the state of Texas, politicians "will do anything" to keep their power and how they rely on "thoughts and prayers and condolences" as their main talking points in statements instead of trying to do anything to prevent these tragedies from occurring again.

"We've got to vote them out of there so that we can save our children," the iconic NBA head coach said about the inaction of politicians on gun violence.

Saturday's event was in response to the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that resulted in 19 students and two teachers being killed.

Per Herb Scribner of Axios, Abbott issued a letter to state lawmakers asking them to find solutions to "prevent future school shootings." The letter doesn't mention gun control as an area of focus.

Per Annabelle Timsit of the Washington Post, there were at least 12 mass shootings across the United States during Memorial Day weekend.

Several players, coaches and teams across the NBA have spoken out about the need for new common-sense gun laws in the wake of the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, New York.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke to reporters prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the same day as the shooting in Uvalde, to express his anger and frustration.

"When are we going to do something?" Kerr yelled. "I'm tired. I am so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I am so tired of the, excuse, I am sorry, I am tired of the moments of silence. Enough!"

Like Popovich, Kerr also called out politicians for prioritizing their power rather than taking action to change publicly supported reform that would require universal background checks for anyone trying to purchase a gun.

"We are being held hostage by 50 senators in Washington who refuse to even put it to a vote, despite what we the American people want," Kerr told reporters. "They won't vote on it, because they want to hold on to their own power."

Popovich has been outspoken in his political views for years. He has publicly called out issues of systemic racism and questioned the politics of NBA team owners in the wake of the April 2021 killing of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by Minnesota police officer Kimberly Potter.