CLEVELAND - San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he believes that Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James "possibly has more impact off the court" through his social activism than he's had as a basketball player, and encouraged James to continue to speak up.
"I don't pick and choose what LeBron should talk about any more than any talking heads who try to pick and choose," Popovich said Sunday, before the Spurs played the Cavs.
Popovich, who has coached the Spurs all 15 season that James has been in the league, faced him in the NBA Finals three times and was an assistant coach under Larry Brown when James played in the 2004 Olympics, took note of Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham saying recently that James should "shut up and dribble" in response to comments by James -- in an ad for Uber also featuring Kevin Durant and ESPN's Cari Champion -- that challenged President Donald Trump.