Warriors HC Steve Kerr: It Was 'Surreal' to Get Called out by Donald Trump
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters before his team's preseason matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday that it was "surreal" to hear President Donald Trump criticize him during a press conference.
"It was really surprising," Kerr said per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. "But mainly just because it was me. Then you stop and you think, this is just every day. This is just another day. I was the shiny object yesterday. There was another one today, there will be a new one tomorrow. And the circus will go on. It's just strange, but it happened."
On Monday, Kerr did not provide comment on the ongoing situation between the NBA and China following Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet in support of the Hong Kong protests:
"I don't know that history well enough to kind of speak on it or to form an opinion yet, so that's kind of where I'm at with the situation," Kerr said per ESPN's News Services. "I'm staying tuned like everybody else."
Two days later, Trump referenced the interview in the midst of criticizing Kerr and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
"[Kerr] couldn't answer the question -- he was shaking, 'Oh, oh, oh, I don't know. I don't know,'" Trump said. "He didn't know how to answer the question, and yet he'll talk about the United States very badly."
"I watch the way that Kerr and Popovich and some of the others were pandering to China, and yet to our own country, it's like they don't respect it," Trump added. "It's like they don't respect it. I said, 'What a difference -- isn't it sad?' It's very sad. To me, it's very sad."
Kerr continued his previous comments, mentioning visits he'd had with the five previous presidents before Trump and providing his thoughts on the current administration.
"The office held such dignity and respect. Both from the people who were visiting and especially the people who sat inside it. It's just sad it's come crashing down. That we are now living this.
"I realize the horse was out of the barn a long time on this. But for me personally, this was my experience with, wow, has the office sunken low. My hope is that we can find a mature unifier from either party to sit in that chair and try to restore some dignity to the Oval Office again and I think it will happen."
Kerr and the Warriors will be looking for their sixth straight Western Conference title when they begin their regular season Thursday, Oct. 24 at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.
