Why Carmelo Anthony appears in anti-gun violence campaign
Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks controls the ball in the second half against Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH, N.Y.. — The NBA’s anti-gun violence campaigns, featuring Carmelo Anthony and other players, will debut on Christmas Day.
“That was big for me,” Anthony said after Knicks practice on Thursday. “As soon as I got the call, I committed to it. I know what that’s like and I know how big this cause can be. For the NBA to get behind something like that, especially at this time, how big of a brand that the NBA is, it was only right for me to get in there and do that.”
The public service announcement, which comes in the wake of mass shootings across the country, features survivors of gun violence and family members of victims who were killed. Other NBA stars involved in the campaign include Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Joakim Noah.
“You can go around the corner and get a gun, you can go to this person to get a gun,” Anthony says in the PSA. “It’s just too easy, it’s too accessible. And it’s going to be like that until we decide as people to fight against that.”
The spot was done in conjunction with Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization founded by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg that lobbies for more stringent gun-control laws, and directed by Spike Lee. It will air during the national broadcasts of the NBA’s lineup of marquee games on Friday.
“It’s good to kind of be that role model,” Anthony said, “and let [kids] know not just to get on the court and go to school, but put the guns down.”
