The NBA and the National Basketball Players association released a PSA on Tuesday promoting unity and understanding. Entitled "Togetherness," the one-minute video features Carmelo Anthony, Kyle Korver, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul reading a statement about using basketball to bring people together. Paul is the president of the NBPA and both Anthony and Korver are on the executive committee.
Here's the statement in full:
"In every game we play, there comes a point where we face a challenge. A time where we have to dig in and figure it out. For each one of us, that time is now. It's time to find ways to talk to each other, listen to each other, learn from each other, respect each other. It's time to use the game we love as a bridge, so we can understand and be understood. That's what this game does. It unites us. It reminds us that, no matter where we come from, no matter our differences, there's only one way to work through our challenges: together."
When the NBA and the union sent players a letter in September saying that they were working together to "create positive change," this kind of thing was part of it. The PSA features clips of players in huddles with their arms around each other, players talking to kids at community events and a white police officer dunking on a hoop surrounded by a bunch of black children. Clearly, the NBA and its players are trying to be a part of a conversation about social issues in America.
Related news: On Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET, TNT will air a roundtable that will cover the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-LGBT laws and athlete protests featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Jim Brown and Paul. After "Open Court: Sports and Society," commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts are scheduled to appear on TNT's pre-game show, where they are expected to discuss this campaign.
