SVG: Not a democracy if athletes are forced to stick to sports

Stan Van Gundy thinks athletes have as much of a right as anyone to vocalize their political beliefs.

The Detroit Pistons head coach said people are being unfair by telling NBA players to "stick to sports," arguing that those individuals only have an issue when an athlete's political views differ from their own.

"When you say that, what are you saying?" Van Gundy told Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press. "As an athlete, you’re too stupid to speak out? But it’s OK for business people to speak out? Or you don’t want anybody to speak out? Generally what people mean is they don’t want anybody that disagrees with them to speak out."

A number of NBA players, coaches, and owners have fired back at Donald Trump after he rescinded the Golden State Warriors' invitation to visit the White House last weekend. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was among those to express his opinion, calling the United States "an embarrassment."

"Athletes have the same rights everybody else does," Van Gundy said. "If there is a strength in our democracy, it’s that we are encouraged to exercise those rights, and speak out, and hold people in power in check.

"Every person is for anyone speaking out to voice the opinions they agree with," he added. "That’s pretty easy. (But) democracy is hard. Everybody’s got a right to their opinion, whether I like it or not."