Nets coach Steve Nash after Rittenhouse acquittal: 'These are always opportunities for us to look in the mirror'
Nets head coach Steve Nash looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Taking a page from the books of Golden State coach Steve Kerr and San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, Nets coach Steve Nash did not hesitate to weigh in on a political topic when asked before Friday night's game against the Magic if the team had talked about the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict or if he had an opinion.
Rittenhouse was acquitted on all five counts against him in Kenosha, Wisconsin, including two murder charges for using his AR-15 rifle to kill two people during a political demonstration.
"We haven’t talked about it," Nash said. "Clearly, these situations are disappointing and it’s important not to be demoralized and for people to continue to fight for the type of justice and equality that serves all.
"While I think it raises a lot of eyebrows, questions, a lot of pain, we recognize there has to be a path forward. I can’t be, ‘Well, this is just the way it is.’
"So I think the movement we’ve experienced, one way or the other, is pushing change, and even if you can’t see that change on a daily basis or even year by year, without that type of attention and willpower to come together and fight for a brighter future, I think there would be no change. It’s paramount in the seeds of change, so I think these are always opportunities for us to look in the mirror."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
