Popovich sports Beto O'Rourke cap, calls Cruz tactics 'scary'

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SAN ANTONIO - One day after he wore a cap emblazoned with "Beto" to practice, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich issued an impassioned plea Saturday for voters to side with Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke over Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas in Tuesday's midterm election.

Calling O'Rourke a "special guy," Popovich painted the El Paso native as a unifier who would help return civility to American politics.

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"You get so tired of all the lies and the divisiveness, and the fearmongering and the race-baiting. It just diminishes all of us," Popovich said. "It makes all of us feel strange, and when I think of Beto, or I listen to what he says, I feel like what I thought an American is supposed to be. He's classy. He's intelligent. He's civil."

Popovich said one of the things he likes about O'Rourke is that he has visited all 254 Texas counties while campaigning.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich in the second half during an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, in Phoenix. The Spurs defeated the Suns 120-90. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) less San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich in the second half during an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, in Phoenix. The Spurs defeated the Suns 120-90. (AP Photo/Rick ... more Photo: Rick Scuteri, Associated Press Photo: Rick Scuteri, Associated Press Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Popovich sports Beto O'Rourke cap, calls Cruz tactics 'scary' 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

"He's been everywhere because he cares about all the people, and he doesn't deal with PACs (political action committees) and corporations and all that sort of thing, he just does the work," Popovich said.

A frequent critic of President Trump, Popovich also took some shots at Cruz during his session with the media before Saturday night's game with the New Orleans Pelicans.

"Leaders are courageous," Popovich said. "Leaders conduct themselves based on their standards, their principles. They have the courage of their convictions. They don't genuflect. They don't kiss up for their own personal gain. (O'Rourke) is out for the people. He wants everything to be fair. He wants justice. He wants our democratic institutions to be respected, so that we are proud of being Americans. You can't be proud of the culture wars that have been begun, and the whole world looks at us for leadership, and it's not there.

"That's why people like Beto are so important, because he embodies that. He is there for us. He's not there for his own personal gain and position. When people are so desperate as is his opponent, that scares me. To do what Mr. Cruz has done to try to get elected is very scary. That's about self. That's not about the rest of us. And Beto is the exact opposite of that, and that's why I think he is great."