NBA Sends Letter to Players Explaining How It Plans to Help Local Communities

Read the letter the NBA sent to its players explaining how it plans to help local communities.

NBA ball on court.
USA Today Sports

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Kim Klement

NBA ball on court.

At the 2016 ESPY Awards, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James took the stage at the start of the show to call for change in their respective communities in light of the police brutality and violence that has plagued many different parts of the country.

"We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence," LeBron said. "We do. But that’s not acceptable. It’s time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves: 'What are we doing to create change?'"

Since then, many NBA players have taken steps to try and create the change they’re looking for. For example, Carmelo Anthony organized a meeting in Los Angeles to address police shootings, while DeMarcus Cousins set up a panel discussion in his native Mobile, Ala. featuring police officers and members of the community. And it sounds like many other players are going to host similar events in the near future in conjunction with the NBA.

On Wednesday night, the league sent out a letter to all NBA players signed by both NBPA executive director Michele Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to let them know that the league plans to "take meaningful action" in all of the NBA’s markets around the country. The league is also encouraging players to step up and provide their ideas for creating change. You can read the letter that was sent to NBA players here:

The letter doesn’t really mention many specifics with regards to what the league is going to do, but it’s good to see that the message Carmelo, CP3, D-Wade, and LeBron delivered in July is still resonating throughout the NBA. Stay tuned to see what kinds of programs the league puts into place in the coming months.

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