Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's powerful message: 'Our country is in trouble'
Following the death of George Floyd, many athletes and organizations around the globe have spoken out against racial injustice and police brutality.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich released a powerful video on Saturday discussing the issues and even admitted he's quite embarrassed to be a white person in today's society.
"It's like the neighborhood where you know there's a dangerous corner, and you know that something's going to happen someday, and nobody does anything," Popovich said in a video released by the Spurs. "And then a young kid gets killed and a stop sign goes up.
"Well, without getting too political, we've got a lot of stop signs that need to go up — quickly — because our country is in trouble. And the basic reason is race."
Popovich isn't the only member of the NBA who wants to see an immediate change. Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown drove 15 hours to Atlanta to lead a peaceful protest alongside Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon.
Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote an emotional op-ed for the Los Angeles Times and LeBron James has continuously called out racial injustice via social media.
The emotional video from Popovich comes after Floyd, an African-American man, died while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. The 46-year-old Floyd was pinned to the ground by officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck, inhibiting him from breathing. The incident was caught on a phone video by a witness.
As Floyd pleaded for his life — even telling officer Chauvin multiple times he couldn't breathe — Chauvin refused to move off his neck.
Floyd was later pronounced dead at the hospital, and Chauvin was arrested on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. On June 3, Chauvin's charge was upgraded to second-degree murder, and three other now-former officers who were on the scene are also facing charges.
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