It took a month, but the Banana Boat has spoken.
The veteran quartet of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony opened the ESPYs with a powerful message against gun violence but stayed quiet regarding Colin Kaepernick's national-anthem protest.
the nba is where this gets from. also, the banana boat crew ever get in on all this? https://t.co/QmmxwNI7uq
— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) September 16, 2016
The silence is over as NBA teams began holding their media days Monday.
Asked if he plans on protesting during the national anthem this season, James said he will stand.
LeBron James says he will stand for National Anthem, but respects and supports Kaepernick. pic.twitter.com/X36h1AMB4F
— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) September 26, 2016
"I'm all in favor of anyone -- athlete or not an athlete -- being able to express what they believe in in a peaceful manner, and that's exactly what Colin Kaepernick is doing, and I respect that," James says. "I think you guys know when I'm passionate about something I speak upon it.
"Me standing for the national anthem is something I will do. That's who I am. That's what I believe in, but that doesn't mean I don't respect and don't agree with what Colin Kaepernick is doing. You have the right to voice your opinion, stand for your opinion -- and he's doing it in the most peaceful way I've seen someone do something.
"What I don't like about the situation is the negative attention that's been thrown upon him from certain people, because it's not deserved."
In the past, James has protested on the court during warmups, wearing a hooded sweatshirt for Trayvon Martin and an "I CAN'T BREATHE" shirt for Eric Garner.
In New York, Anthony was met with similar questions. Although it is unclear how Anthony will treat the national anthem, it turns out Anthony has been in contact with Kaepernick without publicizing their interactions.
@carmeloanthony tells me he's had e-mail exchanges w/ @Kaepernick7 and supports him. Also wants to take "the next step" to help communities.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) September 26, 2016
Melo, on issues he's spoken up at lately: Feels things have been getting worse & will continue to until nation finds a way to come together
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) September 26, 2016
"We want to do it in the right way," Anthony said of the Knicks' plans to address social injustice, via USA Today. "Whatever we do, we want to do it as a collective group. I don't know what that is yet. We'll figure that out. But we want to do it all together. We want everybody to feel a part of it.
"We want everybody to have a right to make their own decisions about what they want to do. And we'll go from there. Everybody sees what’s going on out there in the sports world and what everybody is talking about."
Anthony continued:
"For me it's not about one single gesture. If the guys want to create a gesture or figure it out, we'll figure it out. We will address those issues.
"My goal is to keep the conversation moving, the conversation going. Talking to the right people, getting in front of the right people, making a stand for kind of what we believe in -- whether you're black, white, indifferent. I think it's for everybody to come on board and figure everything out."
As of 4 p.m. ET Monday, Wade and Paul had not yet spoken with reporters at their respective media days in Chicago and Los Angeles.
The NBA preseason starts Saturday with the Warriors and Raptors playing in Vancouver, and the Mavericks and Pelicans playing in Bossier City, Louisiana, just outside of Shreveport.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
