Greg Popovich Rips ‘Idiots’ Who Had Racist Comments Towards Sebastien De La Cruz
By Josh Sanchez
11-year-old Mexican-American Sebastien De La Cruz did an impressive job singing the national anthem during the third and fourth games of the 2013 NBA Finals, but he was unfortunately attacked by ignorant Twitter users that used the public platform to send out racially motivated tweets. The insensitive remarks were targeting De La Cruz’s ethnicity and the mariachi apparel that he was sporting when he sang.
It was sad to see people going after the young man in such an ignorant manner, but that is the way social media works.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich caught wind of the attacks directed at Sebastien De La Cruz, and he ripped those who were sending out the insensitive and racist remarks during Game 4.
“Well, I would like to say that I would be shocked or surprised by the comments. But given the fact that there’s still a significant element of bigotry and racism in our nation, I’m not surprised,” Popovich said, via NBC Sports. “It still plagues us, obviously. And what I was surprised by was how proud these idiots were of their ignorance, by printing their names next to their comments….
“(Sebastien is) a class act. Way more mature than most his age. And as much as those comments by the idiots saddens you about your country, he makes you feel that the future could be very bright.”
It was a surprise to see Popovich give an extended response, which he rarely does. Especially since his comments showed the better side of humanity.
Let’s hope that the Spurs continue to show their support of Sebastien and ask him to return for Game 5 of the finals. He is an incredible talent and he is a great young man that has the right attitude about how to handle adversity.