Several NBA players appeared in a Christmas Day anti-gun violence ad interspersed with families of victims. The ad did not advocate for any political or legislative actions, but rather ended with a rallying cry: “We can end gun violence.”
However, the ad was sponsored by Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety and features a link to a page that, while not calling for gun control per se, includes a fundraising link. It was directed by Spike Lee, whose new film, “Chi-Raq,” is a platform for Lee’s gun-control advocacy. And anti-gun advocates like The New York Times and Mother Jones lauded the NBA, and President Barack Obama tweeted his support.
Reports say the NBA claims the ad was apolitical. However, that claim rings false when it aligns itself with visceral opponents of the Second Amendment. After all, professional basketball generates millions of dollars—certainly enough that the league could have funded its own PSA without Bloomberg’s help.
