San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Sunday responded to criticism from Donald Trump, praising NBA commissioner Adam Silver's handling of the ongoing China issue as compared to the president's relationship to a number of foreign leaders.
"[Silver] stood by our nation and its principles. That's pretty huge in these days," Popovich told reporters before the Spurs' preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans. "Sometimes, it's kind of Orwellian. You think we're living in a place where, 'Is this really happening?' But that comparison was pretty stark when you put our president up against those leaders when he's with them or talking to him and how reacts compared to the way Adam Silver reacted.