-
FILE PHOTO: Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors complains about a first-half foul against the LA Clippers during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles. Kerr says he regrets his previous evasion of China-related questions, and should have more strongly defended Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s right to freedom of expression during a recent interview with the Washington Post.
Less
FILE PHOTO: Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr complains about a first-half foul against the LA Clippers during Game Two of the First Round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in
… plus
Photo: Harry How / Getty Images
FILE PHOTO: Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors complains about a first half foul against the LA Clippers during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles. Kerr says he regrets his previous evasion of China-related questions, and should have defended more vigorously the right of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to freedom of expression during a recent interview with the Washington Post.
Less
FILE PHOTO: Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr complains about a first-half foul against the LA Clippers during Game Two of the First Round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in
… plus
Photo: Harry How / Getty Images
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says he regrets dodging previous questions related to China, and that he should have defended more strongly the right to freedom of expression for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
Kerr recently spoke to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post for an article on white NBA coaches and social justice. Buckner’s article makes no mention of the league’s dispute with China, a notable omission given Kerr’s role in the incident and recent high-profile disputes focusing on the hypocritical charges that the league is going against police brutality and systemic racism in the country as it blinds human rights abuses in China due to the league’s financial interests.
Before the article was published, Buckner tweeted a transcript of part of his conversation with Kerr that did not appear in the article. The transcript shows that it shows that Kerr voluntarily directed the conversation toward China, a somewhat surprising move given the general reluctance of people across the league when it comes to discussing the issue. After Buckner asked if talking about political issues can be “onerous,” Kerr expressed remorse for not backing Morey, who unleashed a firestorm after tweeting support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
“I handled it very badly,” Kerr said. “I was downright tongue tied. I’m sitting there trying to figure out what I’m supposed to say to make sure I don’t compromise the league, but also trying to find the right balance and I realize it was probably the only time to Over the years, when I didn’t quite say what I was saying and I was caught in this political hail storm, I felt very uncomfortable because it was a subject I was very comfortable with and the circumstances were really strange.
“I found out about the last four years since I’ve been … [outspoken] Questions are not always easy. If you follow your instinct and your heart, you usually only tell your truth and you will feel good about it later. That’s the only episode where I walked away shaking my head saying, ‘What the hell was that?’ “
Kerr was then asked what she would do differently if she had the chance.
“Well, first of all, I would endorse Daryl,” he said. “I would just say that Daryl has the right, as an American, to freedom of expression. He can say what he wants and we should support him on that and that’s the main message. And then if you want to delve into a really complex problem (laughs), then you can have a conversation. “
The Warriors coach did not directly intervene in the suppression of protests in Hong Kong, the oppression of Uighur Muslims and other oppressions by the Chinese government, but his support for Morey’s right to freedom of expression and the will to have A “conversation” on the subject is a far cry from what others in the NBA have said about Morey and China’s tweet.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James was outraged after stating that Morey “was not educated about the situation at hand” and that those around the NBA should “be careful what we tweet, say and do “
Just a week ago, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban declined to comment on the oppression of Uighur Muslims in China during a Twitter fight with Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Cuban referred to human rights abuses as “internal policies”, tweeting: “I have never been involved in the internal policies of ANY foreign country. We have a lot to do here.”
Eric Ting is a SFGATE reporter. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @_ ericting
