Trump mocks Steve Kerr for silence on China, then stays quiet himself



less President Donald Trump responds to a question from a reporter at an event for the signing of two executive orders aimed at greater governmental transparency at the White House October 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump answered questions on the pending impeachment inquiry and the Turkish offensive into northern Syria following the signing of the executive orders. President Donald Trump responds to a question from a reporter at an event for the signing of two executive orders aimed at greater governmental transparency at the White House October 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. ... more Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Trump mocks Steve Kerr for silence on China, then stays quiet himself 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

The intense geopolitical controversy surrounding the NBA and China reached the White House on Wednesday, when President Trump mocked Warriors coach and Twitter antagonist Steve Kerr for staying quiet about the skirmish.

Then Trump sidestepped the issue himself.

During a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with reporters, Trump was asked about the China-NBA backlash, which began Friday when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a now-deleted tweet supporting the protesters in Hong Kong.

“I watched this guy Steve Kerr and he was like a little boy, he was so scared to be even answering the question,” Trump said. “He was shaking, 'Oh, I don't know' ... he didn't know how to answer the question, and yet he'll talk about the United States very badly.

Trump said San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did “sort of the same thing, but he didn't look quite as scared actually. They talk badly about the United States but when it talks about China they don't want to say anything bad.”

When a reporter followed up by asking Trump if he was OK with the Chinese government pressuring the NBA, Trump said, “They have to work out their own situation. The NBA is … they know what they're doing.”

Trump also said Kerr was “pandering” to China, and that he and Popovich don’t respect America.

When reporters asked Kerr after a Warriors practice on Monday if he had any thoughts on the controversy, he responded, “I don’t.” Kerr added that “It's a really bizarre international story, and a lot of us don't know what to make of it. So it's something I'm reading about just like everybody is, but I'm not going to comment further than that."

Soon after Trump’s comments Wednesday, reporters at practice asked the Warriors’ Stephen Curry for his reaction.

Steph Curry on the Donald Trump tweet at Kerr and the evolving situation between the NBA and China pic.twitter.com/BTBG4Jt6JS — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 9, 2019

“I just heard about the Trump thing,” Curry said. “I gotta welcome Steve to the club.”

Like Kerr, Curry said he wasn’t well-versed enough on the NBA-China issue to give a comment yet.

“Something this big that involves the entire landscape of the league and the importance of a country like China, that's something you're not just walking into lightheartedly saying stuff off the cuff,” Curry said.

Kerr has been personally hit by tragedy due to international conflict. His father, Malcolm, was president of American University of Beirut when he was assassinated by gunmen while walking out of an elevator.

Kerr has also been a frequent critic of Trump’s on Twitter on issues such as racism and gun control. The Warriors have also twice refused to make the customary White House visit to Trump after winning the NBA championship.

Since Morey’s tweet of an image reading, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong,” Chinese response has been swift. The state-run CCTV canceled airing NBA preseason games, including two in China between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets.

China’s Anta Sports Products, which has a sneaker deal with the Warriors’ Klay Thompson, said Tuesday it was cutting ties with the NBA.

Recommended Video:

Greg Keraghosian is an SFGATE homepage editor. Email: greg.keraghosian@sfgate.com