The 2003 NBA draft will go down in history as four of the top five players selected that night will likely wind up in the hall of fame. Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were four of those players selected in the top five that evening but it’s the other player, Darko Milicic, that this story is about, along with Melo.
NBA: Carmelo Anthony on Freddie Gray Case Being His Tipping Point & Advice He Gave Colin Kaepernick
Born in Red Hook, Brooklyn and raised in Baltimore, Carmelo Anthony has seen his fair share of race and societal issues. In a feature for ESPN The Magazine, Anthony talked about the Freddie Gray case in his hometown of Baltimore, and the wise words he told Colin Kaepernick after the 49ers quarterback started a major protest.
NBA: Carmelo Anthony: ‘You Can’t Put White Police in the ‘Hood’
In the October 31 “NBA Preview” edition of ESPN The Magazine, they spoke with Carmelo Anthony about everything but basketball. Instead it was an in depth discussion about police brutality, race, and the issues plaguing society. The New York Knicks star has come out in the forefront of black athletes speaking out with all these police-involved shootings and issues in black neighborhoods.
(Photo) NBA: Carmelo Anthony Leaves IG Comments Shaming SLAM for Ranking Him #15 in Top 50 Players
Basically, any ranking system starts a huge debate. Usually, ESPN’s NBA ranking list causes major controversy, but this time around its SLAM magazine’s Top 50 in the NBA list that caused a firestorm.
NBA: Carmelo Anthony on Jeremy Lin With Nets: ‘He is the face of their franchise – believe it or not’
Jeremy Lin signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Nets bringing him back to New York where his fame started, but this time, he’s with the team on the other side of the river. Carmelo Anthony admitted to being surprised that Lin is Brooklyn’s new star when asked about his former teammate invading the Garden on Saturday for a Knicks-Nets preseason game, but he also said he was happy for Lin.
NBA: Carmelo Anthony On Athletes Speaking On Social Issues “We’re Kind Of In A Lose-Lose Situation”
Colin Kaepernick and some other NFL players who have recently protested on the field might have the attention of people now but Carmelo Anthony was one of the first high profile athletes to speak out on the issues plaguing our country. Going back to last year’s NBA season, Melo spoke about police brutality and other social issues in a lengthy Instagram post that really got people talking. He followed that up with his speech at the ESPY’s, where he was joined by Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Lebron James. With those issues still big as ever, Melo was asked about it again yesterday during the Knicks training camp, where he revealed that it’s hard for athletes to talk on things like this because they are in a “lose-lose” situation.
