Melo: Winning a gold medal would be bigger than any protest
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More than any other NBA player, Carmelo Anthony has been the most generous in terms of lending his celebrity to social activism.
In the wake of worsening racial tensions in the United States, where Anthony is from, the New York Knicks superstar has pleaded for peace and understanding. He spoke out against gun violence, he marched with fellow protesters following the funeral for Freddie Gray, and he's challenged athletes to use their voices to demand change.
Anthony even suggested he would use the platform of the Olympic Games, where he's representing Team USA for a fourth time, to make a statement.
But in lieu of answers, the 32-year-old told ESPN's Hannah Storm the biggest statement he and his teammates could make would be to win it all.
"I've thought about it, I just don't have the answers to what should be done," Anthony said. "Then I also sit back and I also say, 'This is the biggest platform, the whole world is watching - what better way to make a statement than it is to go out there and win a gold medal and become united?' That's bigger than any other protest we can do on that stage."
In a letter penned to The Guardian last month, Anthony pointed to the spotlight of Rio 2016 as an opportunity to take a stand.
In three weeks I’ll travel to Rio with the United States’ Olympic team to perform on a global stage. I haven’t spoken with my teammates yet about the opportunity before us and how we can take advantage of it, because at the end of the day I want it to be genuine. If you don’t feel like you want to make a statement or make a stand, then don’t do it. You shouldn’t feel forced to do it. You have to want to do that.
For me, I do feel like this is a platform where we should - we as athletes, we as Americans - use it for something. Whether we make a statement out there or send a message, we can show the world that we’re united. Whatever way we want to do it, this is a chance to do something meaningful before an audience of billions. I don’t know what that something is yet, but we still have time to figure it out.
Anthony, however, reiterated during the ESPN interview that he would remain committed to affecting change.
"We need to be educated, we need to educate our youth, because right now it's a major, major disconnect," Anthony said. "Another point I was making in that conversation was (about the police) 'You have to abide by the law, you're not the law.' They were very receptive to knowing that.
"I'm committed. We gotta get our youth back, off the streets, we have to get the community feeling back, and we need police to do that. We need them to protect and serve, but we also need them to build these bonds back into the community because it's lost right now."