After Texas shooting, Spurs’ Popovich calls win over Suns ‘meaningless’
Nov 5, 2017, 8:09 PM | Updated: Nov 6, 2017, 11:24 am
Quick Popovich reaction… basketball not important after what occurred today in Texas #Spurs pic.twitter.com/8Iu7iWNJGy
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) November 6, 2017
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn’t want to talk basketball after his team beat the Phoenix Suns 112-95 on Sunday evening.
Instead, he gave a brief statement, focusing instead on the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church shooting 40 miles east of San Antonio that left at least 26 victims dead as of Sunday evening.
“We won a basketball game but considering everything that’s gone on today, it’s pretty meaningless,” an emotional Popovich told reporters. “You think about the tragedy that those families have suffered, it’s inconceivable, impossible to put your head around. I think to talk about about basketball tonight is probably pretty inappropriate. So you all have a good night.”
The San Antonio win moved Popovich to 1,156 victories in his career, helping him pass Phil Jackson to become the sixth most winningest coach in NBA history.
For the Suns, the loss marked the end of a five-game road trip in which they went 2-3.
During the trip, the team had been affected by the two most recent mass killings in the United States. On Tuesday, Phoenix was staying in a Manhattan hotel blocks from a New York City attack involving a man who killed eight people by driving a rented truck into a bike lane.
On Sunday, the Spurs held a moment of silence after the shooting in the small Texas town.
Spurs observe moment of silence for #SutherlandSprings victims. pic.twitter.com/kZmhO1ttia
— Maddy Skye (@MaddySkye) November 6, 2017
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