New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is currently preparing to represent Team USA for the fourth time in the Rio Olympics in the coming weeks, aiming to get his hands on the third Olympic gold medal of his career. No matter how his organization performs this upcoming NBA season, Anthony tends to find a way to excel in the international game, showcasing his elite level scoring ability with flashes of leadership.

His Knicks team has become stronger over the summer with the additions of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings. It will be fascinating to see how things unfold in the Big Apple during the 2016-2017 season.

Despite all the important basketball games he has ahead of him, the nine-time NBA All-Star has other, more important things on his mind.

Anthony spent his day off from Team USA talking in a South Los Angeles youth center about the importance of respect, safety, and communication, alongside fellow athletes.

According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, two hundred people turned up to the event and Melo hopes that many of them were enriched by the experience:

“We really got a lot of messages out of today,” Anthony said. “Hopefully we can continue this dialogue, and we created something today that will continue on.”

The meeting lasted around two hours and focused on the topic of gun violence in the U.S and the cultural effects that it causes. Gun violence is an important subject on the public's mind these days, but Anthony believes that the nation needs to talk now, more than ever:

“There were some very, very powerful messages that were being talked about,” Anthony said. “The youth really spoke out today about how they feel about their community, how they feel about police officers, how they feel about relationships and how we can mend these relationships.”

After a high profile speech at the ESPY Awards alongside some of his Team USA teammates, Carmelo has publicly spoken out about the hostility between the police and the black community on a regular basis since:

“We know that nothing is going to happen overnight,” Anthony said. “But what we wanted to do was create something that we could start right now, and continue on when we leave here today.”

The 2013 NBA scoring champion is known as a player that acknowledges the importance of other aspects of his life beside the game. His work within communities carries the potential to have a more positive and ultimately rewarding effect than anything he could ever do on a basketball court.

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