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NBA Players, Spike Lee Make Controversial Gun Violence PSA

NBA stars Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah joined director Spike Lee for a series of PSAs, but some say it's controversial.
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"I heard about a shooting involving a 3-year-old girl over the summer. My daughter Riley's that age," Steph Curry said. 

"My parents just always said, 'A bullet don't have a name on it,'" Chris Paul said.

NBA players and gun violence victims are speaking out in a new PSA for Everytown for Gun Safety.

NBA stars Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah joined director Spike Lee for the series of PSAs.

The ads also features gun violence victims from shootings in Aurora, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; Newtown, Connecticut; and others.

Notably, the series of PSAs don't mention the phrase "gun control."

But, as The New York Times points out, the NBA's involvement in the series is controversial.

The Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy group was created by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. (Video via Council on Foreign Relations

The New York Times writes, "While many of its teams are based in cities dominated by Democrats, a number of other teams — and millions of N.B.A. fans — hail from places where Mr. Bloomberg and his approach to guns are viewed with deep suspicion."

NFL players used a similar approach last year when several participated in domestic violence PSAs for the Joyful Heart Foundation. This came after a string of domestic violence issues involving Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson.

But the issue of guns — specifically who should have them and how they should be used — isn't as clear cut.

That's why the NBA is getting some backlash for the ads.

The ads are expected to debut on TV on Christmas Day, historically one of the most-watched days of the NBA season.

This season features a much anticipated match up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the reigning NBA champs, the Golden State Warriors.

This video includes images from Getty Images.