Top players from the National Basketball Association have partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety in a new 30-second advertisement urging an end to gun violence in the United States. The New York Times reported that the collaboration is the brainchild of Spike Lee, who first broached the idea to ESPN president John Skipper, who then connected the director with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
In the video, stars like Steph Curry and Carmelo Anthony are featured along with gun violence survivors and victims’ families to discuss how the issue has affected them personally.
“I heard about a shooting involving a three-year-old girl over the summer,” Curry says in the clip. “My daughter is that age.”
“We know far too many people who have been caught up in gun violence in this country,” NBA president of social responsibility Kathleen Behrens told the Times. “And we can do something about it.”
The NBA’s entry into the gun debate is especially noteworthy given that pro sports leagues tend to avoid weighing in on controversial or political debates. It also comes at the end of another year that witnessed several high-profile mass shootings, including the Charleston rampage inside a historic black church in June and the San Bernardino shooting earlier this month.
