Wizards stand by President Obama during speech on gun control
Two members of the Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal and Alan Anderson, stood by President Barack Obama during an emotional speech on gun control at the White House on Tuesday.
Here are more details on how it all came together, courtesy of The Washington Post:
The White House reached out to the Wizards on Saturday to inquire if any players would be available to attend Tuesday’s event. The team had a practice scheduled at the same time as the address so only Beal and Anderson, both nursing injuries, were available. They sat in the front row in the East Room, just left of Obama and in full view of the television camera feeding the national broadcast as the president delivered an emotional speech outlining new firearms restrictions. “It was awesome. To represent my teammates and the league, period, and myself and my family,” Beal said. “To stand up for a cause that’s tragic in our world. It was kind of a no-brainer for me to go. The whole speech in itself, the atmosphere, it was something different.”
Beal and Anderson sat front row and were visible on national television during the speech. Their appearance serves as an extension of the NBA's own partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety, which aired commercials featuring Steph Curry, Joakim Noah, Carmelo Anthony and others on Christmas Day.
Gun violence is an obvious problem in this country, and it's uplifting to see the NBA turn loose in the fight to curb it.
