Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

OAKLAND – Gregg Popovich gave a hard foul to President Trump – again.

The San Antonio Spurs coach who has long since made his opinion about Trump known ended his pregame media session for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on a political platform Sunday afternoon, admonishing Trump for the early part of his tenure. His comments came in the wake of Trump’s recent firing of FBI director James Comey and the investigations into potential ties between the president and Russia.

“Usually, things happen in the world and you go to work and you’ve got your family and you’ve got your friend and you do what you do, but to this day I feel like there’s a cloud, a pall, over the whole country, in a paranoid surreal sort of way that’s got nothing to do with the Democrats losing the election,” said Popovich, 68, who graduated from the Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in Soviet Studies in 1970 and spent active duty time as an intelligence officer in Eastern Europe. “It’s got to do with the way one individual conducts himself. It’s embarrassing. It’s dangerous to our institutions and what we all stand for and what we expect the country to be. But for this individual, he’s at a game show and everything that happens begins and ends with him, not our people or our country.

“When he talks about those things, that’s just a ruse. That’s disingenuous, cynical and fake.”

With that, the room full of reporters on hand to cover the series against the Golden State Warriors fell somewhat silent before Popovich lightened the mood before exiting.

“Well with that, have a nice day,” said Popovich, who was highly critical of Trump during the election. “Enjoy the game. Somebody’s going to win. Somebody’s going to lose. I just hope somebody doesn’t get their butt kicked.”

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