As I’ve pointed out a few dozen times since July 1, whoever is running the public relations strategy for the NBA players union is doing a terrible job. But I’m also willing to bet that nobody is really in charge of the spin machine, as we’ve seen both the players and owners struggle to grasp reality during this entire lockout.
However, it’s worth pointing out that the players, despite coming off as greedy and arrogant at times (*cough, Dwyane Wade claiming he deserves $50 million per season, cough*), really do have their acts together for the most part. Sure, some of them are acting like they don’t give a crap about whether or not there is a season, but some of them are using their free time for the betterment of society and they’re not necessarily doing it so they can pose for the cameras.
Us basketball fans may be pissed, annoyed, frustrated, and flat out angry, but we’re also ignorant to the better efforts because a couple guys giving out Playstations to terminally ill kids doesn’t make a front page look as sexy as Wade telling off the league’s commish. Fortunately, I was doing some fall hard drive cleaning and came across a slew of images that proves that even the most robotic, soulless eventual billionaires like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have big hearts. They just don’t have good marketing teams.
Ron Artest, AKA Metta World Peace, spent time with students from Compton High School at the Grammy Museum. Artest’s charity, Xcel University, has donated $285,000 to mental health charities this year.
And then Metta World Peace became the first person eliminated from the current season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
Portland Trailblazers guard Brandon Roy, whose current contract is a perfect example of why the owners want two amnesty clauses under the new CBA, participated in the GameStop Xbox Giving for Good G3 Game-a-Thon this weekend, benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network.
Carmelo Anthony attended the 2011 New Yorkers for Children Gala.
He also attended Fashion Week. Not pictured is the leash that his wife, La La Anthony, keeps securely around his nugget pouch.
Anthony also took part in Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play, fulfilling every 80s kid’s dream of being slimed.
