NBA Coach Stan Van Gundy Lashes Out at Evangelicals for Supporting 'Racist' Trump
Head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons ripped into conservative Christians shortly after President-elect Donald Trump's win in last Tuesday's election for embracing the "openly and brazenly racist and misogynistic" New York City billionaire.
"I understand problems with the economy. I understand all the problems with Hillary Clinton, I do. But certain things in our country should disqualify you. And the fact that millions and millions of Americans don't think that racism and sexism disqualifies you to be our leader, in our country. ... We presume to tell other countries about human-rights abuses and everything else. We better never do that again, when our leaders talk to China or anybody else about human-rights abuses," Van Gundy told the Detroit Free Press during a six-minute rant last Wednesday.
"We just elected an openly, brazen misogynist leader and we should keep our mouths shut and realize that we need to be learning maybe from the rest of the world, because we don't got anything to teach anybody.
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"It's embarrassing," he continued. "I have been ashamed of a lot of things that have happened in this country, but I can't say I've ever been ashamed of our country until today. Until today. We all have to find our way to move forward, but that was ... and I'm not even trying to make a political statement. To me, that's beyond politics."
Addressing the strong support Trump got from evangelicals, Van Gundy felt Christians betrayed their values to support the real estate mogul.
"And then you read how he was embraced by conservative Christians. Evangelical Christians. I'm not a religious guy, but what the hell Bible are they reading? I'm dead serious. What Bible are you reading?" Van Gundy asked.
"And you're supposed to be — it's different. There are a lot of different groups we can be upset at. But you're Christians. You're supposed to be — at least you pride yourself on being the moral compass of our society. And you said, 'Yeah, the guy can talk about women like that. I'm fine with that.' He can disparage every ethnic group, and I'm fine with that.
"Look, I don't get it. And I'm having a hard time taking it. I'm just glad that the people I'm with here — and I'll include you guys, too — that I like. Because I'm going to have a hard time. I will say, one point of pride, I live in Oakland County, Michigan, and I was surprised, but Oakland County voted for Clinton. At least I can look around say, 'We weren't the ones putting that guy in office,'" he said.
"It's incredible. I don't know how you go about it, if you're a person of color today or a Latino. Because white society just said to you, again — not like we haven't forever — but again, and emphatically, that I don't think you deserve equality. We don't think you deserve respect. And the same with women. That's what we say today, as a country. We should be ashamed for what we stand for as the United States today."
Listen to Van Gundy's interview below.
