The presidential election took place more than a month ago, but it’s obviously still fresh on many peoples’ minds. And that includes Carmelo Anthony. Even though the Knicks are off to one of their hottest starts in years—they have won seven of their last ten games and currently sit at 14-10—Carmelo is still spending quite a bit of time thinking about many of the social issues that are affecting the country at this time, and he’s wondering how the election of Donald Trump will affect his fight against social injustices.
After the Knicks beat the Kings on Friday night, Carmelo sat down with The Undefeated to speak about his thoughts on all things Trump—in addition to his thoughts on all things Phil Jackson, who has caused quite a stir in the Knicks’ locker room over the last week—and he talked about his initial thoughts on Trump becoming president.
"During then [presidential] election, I was just sitting back and kind of watching it all unfold," he said. "It’s a popularity contest. But at the end of the day, we all have to be responsible for our own actions. We have to take onus on what we want to do, continue doing it individually and not rely on Congress or the president. They are going to do what they are going to do whether the people agree with it or not."
Carmelo also spoke about what he told his 9-year-old son Kiyan about the election. Other NBA players, like LeBron James and J.R. Smith, have used social media to wonder aloud about what they’re supposed to tell their kids now that Trump is president. Carmelo revealed that he has maintained an open dialogue with his son about it, and he said that he plans on continuing that dialogue moving forward.
"He asked me, 'What do this mean by Donald Trump winning the presidency?'" Carmelo said. "I said, 'Now, we have to be more aware of what we do, what we say, and the path that we are laying down.' He is aware of what is going down. He knows. He talks about it in school. I have to be the one to teach him. I can’t rely on somebody else giving him that information. He was more shocked because everyone else was shocked, as well. He knows a little bit more than a 9-year-old should about what is going on in our society."
Elsewhere in the interview, Carmelo also discussed his happiness with the Knicks and the methods he uses for blocking out any criticism he receives. You can read the full Q&A here.
