DURING THE SB AWARDS, PROMINENT NBA PLAYERS USED
THE AWARD CEREMONY AS A PLATFORM TO SHARE A MESSAGE OF LOVE
AND RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITIES AND WHAT THEY
ARE FACING.
THE NBA PLAYERS CARMELO ANTHONY, CHRIS PAUL, DWAYNE WADE AND
LEBRON JAMES TOOK THE STAGE TO ADDRESS THE VIOLENT EVENTS
OF THE PAST WEEK.
THEY DIDN'T ONLY TALK ABOUT THE SHOOTINGS THAT AFFECTED BLACK
INDIVIDUALS, THEY ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE SHOOTING IN DALLAS AND
I THINK THAT THEIR SPEECH WAS ACTUALLY INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU A SPEECH ñ A SNIPPET OF IT.
THE EVENTS OF LAST WEEK HAVE PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON
INJUSTICE, DISTRUST AND ANGER THAT PLAGUE SO MANY OF US.
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, THE PROBLEMS ARE NOT NEW, THE
VIOLENCE IS NOT NEW, AND THE RACIAL DIVIDE IS DEFINITELY
NOT NEW.
BUT THE URGENCY TO CREATE CHANGE IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.
WE STAND HERE TONIGHT ACCEPTING OUR ROLE IN
UNITING COMMUNITIES, TO BE THE CHANGE WE NEED TO SEE.
WE STAND BEFORE YOU AS FATHERS, SONS, HUSBANDS, BROTHERS,
UNCLES, AND IN MY CASE, AND IN ñ AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN AND
THE NEPHEW OF A POLICE OFFICER, WHO WAS ñ WHO IS ONE OF THE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GREAT OFFICERS SERVING THIS COUNTRY.
BUT, TREYVON MARTIN, MICHAEL BROWN, TAMIR RICE, ERIC GARNER,
LAQUAN MCDONALD, ALTON STERLING, PHILANDO CASTILE, THIS IS
ALSO OUR REALITY.
LEGENDS LIKE JACKIE ROBINSON, MOHAMMED ALI AND TOMMY SMITH,
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, JIM BROWN, BILLIE JEAN KING, ARTHUR ASH,
AND COUNTLESS OTHERS, THEY SET A MODEL FOR WHAT ATHLETES SHOULD
STAND FOR.
SO WE CHOOSE TO ñ TO FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS.
THE RACIAL PROFILING HAS TO STOP.
THE SHOOT TO KILL MENTALITY HAS TO STOP.
NOT SEEING THE VALUE OF BLACK AND BROWN BODIES HAS TO STOP.
BUT ALSO, THE RETALIATION HAS TO STOP.
THE ENDLESS GUN VIOLENCE IN PLACES LIKE CHICAGO,
DALLAS, NOT TO MENTION ORLANDO, IT HAS TO STOP.
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
LOVED IT.
OF COURSE THE RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVES ARE
COMPLAINING, BUT WHEN ARE THEY NOT COMPLAINING.
ESPN IS MORE LIBERAL THAN EIGHT MSNBC.
IT'S A LIBERAL THINK YOU CARE ABOUT BLACK LIVES, I'M GLAD
YOU ADMITTED IT.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH WHAT THEY ARE SAYING?
HEY, LET'S STOP THE VIOLENCE.
THEY SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT THEY DON'T WANT VIOLENCE
AGAINST THE COPS EITHER BECAUSE THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE COPS.
SO BEING AGAINST VIOLENCE IS A BAD THING?
THE VIOLENCE IS OKAY WHEN IT'S CARRIED OUT BY ONE
GROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT IT'S NOT OKAY IF THE OTHER GROUP THAT HAS
BEEN TARGETED BY THAT TYPE OF VIOLENCE SPEAKS OUT AGAINST IT.
THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE IF YOU
DON'T WANT TO BE CRITICIZED IN THE MEDIA YOU HAVE TO JUST
SAY, ANY BLACK PERSON WHO HAS BEEN SHOT AND KILLED BY A POLICE
OFFICER PROBABLY DESERVED IT AND LET'S MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES.
THAT'S THE THOUGHT PROCESS OF SO MANY PEOPLE WHO CRITICIZE
SHOWS LIKE THIS.
PEOPLE LIKE TOMMY LAUREN, WHO GO ON HER SHOW AND ASKED ñ
ACT AS IF BLACK PEOPLE ARE JUST GATHERING AND PROTESTING
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY OVER NOTHING.
THEY'VE ALL HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES BUT THEY ARE
ALL MAKING IT UP SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
I FEEL LIKE THIS SITUATION IS HOPELESS.
I LOVE THAT MOMENT OF THE ESPY'S AS WELL, I THINK
YOU DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB OF BEING FAIR AND BALANCED IN
THEIR COMMENTARY, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER.
THOSE WHO REFUSE TO BELIEVE WHAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH
IN THIS COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT.
IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED AT THE
ESPIES.
I'M A SPORTS FAN, I LOVE ALL THAT STUFF, BUT TO HAVE AN
INTELLIGENT MOMENT, A CARING MOMENT WHERE WE TRY TO
ACTUALLY HELP OTHER AMERICANS IS NOT A BAD THING, IT'S A
GREAT THING, SO PROBABLY THE BEST THING THEY'VE EVER DONE.
ANA, I DISAGREE WITH YOU ON A COUPLE OF THINGS.
YOU KNOW ME, I'M AN INTERNAL ñ I'M AN ETERNAL OPTIMIST AND
I THINK WE CAN UN-POISON THE WORLD.
MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THIS CASE, YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW
MANY PEOPLE LOVE THESE ATHLETES.
NOT OF BLACK PEOPLE, WHITE PEOPLE, A LOT OF AMERICANS
LOVE THESE ATHLETES.
LEBRON SPOKE OUT REALLY WELL, WHEN LEBRON SAYS SOMETHING
AND DWAYNE WADE SAID SOMETHING, THEY PAY ATTENTION A LITTLE
MORE THAN IF WE SAID IT, OR JESSE JACKSON SAID IT.
SO TO USE THAT STAR POWER IN A POSITIVE WAY IS FANTASTIC.
WHEN THE MOHAMMED ALI'S OF THE WORLD SPOKE OUT IT MADE A
DIFFERENCE.
NOW THEY ARE CELEBRATED, BUT WHEN THEY SPOKE OUT BELIEVE
ME THEY GOT EVEN MORE CRITICIZED THAN THESE GUYS ARE TODAY.
THEY WOULD SAY, HOW DARE YOU, KNOW YOUR ROLE!
THEY WOULDN'T CALL HIM MOM AND ALI, THEY WOULD CALL THEM
CASH IS CLAY.
THEY WANTED TO STRIP THOSE ILLITERATE RUNNERS OF THEIR
METALS.
THEY HATED THEM, HOW DARE YOU!
IT'S THE SAME GUYS WHO DON'T
WANT EQUALITY, WHO THEN RISE THEIR HEADS, AND THAT'S WHO
WE ARE DEALING WITH TODAY.
BUT DON'T WORRY ABOUT THOSE GUYS, WE'VE GOT TO REACH
THE NEW GENERATION.
THEY WANT TO POISON THE GENERATION AND DIVIDE US BETWEEN
WHITE, BLACK, ETC.,
WE WANT TO UN-POISON THE CULTURE AND SAY WE WANT EVERYBODY
TO BE TREATED EQUALLY.
BLACK ñ BLACK LIVES MATTER ALSO, AND HISTORICALLY THEY HAVE
NOT MATTER AS MUCH AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO FIX SO THAT
WE ALL VALUE EACH OTHER'S LIVES AND TREAT EACH OTHER WITH
DIGNITY AND RESPECT.
SO IF THEY DON'T LIKE THAT MESSAGE, THAT'S A SAD DAY
FOR THEM.
SO WE HAVE THESE GUYS WHO ARE GREATLY FAMOUS AND
CELEBRATED ON OUR SIDE?
GREAT, LOVE IT.