NBA Partnering With Everytown For Gun Safety Support Fund For PSAs

The Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund on Wednesday joined with the NBA and director Spike Lee to launch “End Gun Violence,” a campaign focusing on the 88 Americans on average that are killed with guns every day. The campaign will tip off with the first of several Lee-directed PSAs during ABC and ESPN’s NBA game coverage on Christmas Day. The spots will feature NBA players including Knicks F Carmelo Anthony, Warriors G Stephen Curry, Bulls F Joakim Noah and Clippers G Chris Paul, along with gun violence survivors (NBA). Lee is a member of Everytown for Gun Safety’s creative council and “worked to get the league and its players involved” (AP, 12/23).

The PSAs, which never mention the words "gun control," focuses on "shooting victims and contain no policy recommendations" (NYTIMES.com, 12/23). The campaign features 35 gun violence survivors, including a family that "lost a son to a shooting after a basketball game at Chicago State" in '13, and another family who "lost a son as he walked home after playing basketball in his neighborhood" in '07 (USATODAY.com, 12/23).