NBA Stars, Including Baltimore Native Carmelo Anthony, Open ESPYs Urging End To Profiling, Violence
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore-native turned basketball star is calling for change.
At the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday night, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony joined three other NBA superstars addressing what they called "a broken system," a response to the violence and outrage fueled by the deaths of black men like Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and most recently Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
"The events of the past week have put a spotlight on the injustice, distrust and anger that plague so many of us," said Anthony.
Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade opened the ESPY Awards by saying: "the urgency to create change is at an all time high."
Anthony is no stranger to activism, marching on the streets of Baltimore in peaceful protest after the death of Freddie Gray last year.
"We're going to get justice one way or the other, but we just got to do it in the right way," he said.
Anthony has also made it a point to call on fellow athletes to enact change, writing in part on the Guardian website: "Teams and support systems around athletes urge them to stay away from politics, stay away from this, stay away from that. But at certain times, you've just got to put all of that aside and be a human being."
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