With the NBA being on hiatus and much of the country under stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony found himself with something he doesn’t often have: free time. So when SLAM Magazine approached the 16-year veteran about serving as Editor-in-Chief for their edition focusing on police brutality and systemic racism, particularly as it pertains to athletes, he figured it might be a valuable way to use some of that free time, at least if certain conditions were met.
“It was a great opportunity for me to just be able to, from a creative standpoint, take over the full magazine,” said Anthony on a Zoom call with reporters Monday afternoon.