US basketball star Carmelo Anthony called for the United States to come together on Monday, ending the gun violence which recently saw three police officers killed.

Anthony is preparing for Olympic gold but is taking time out of his training in a bid to unite his country, using last week’s ESPY Awards evening as one platform and the build-up to the Games in Brazil as another.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s sad,” said Anthony. “You can’t really put into words what’s going on throughout the whole country, throughout the whole world. For us as a country, we have to stand united. We have to come together.”

Anthony plans to spread his message in Rio, saying this is “the biggest stage you can possibly play on and [to] have that voice and represent something that is bigger than us as players.”

Anthony stood alongside Olympic teammates LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul at the ESPY awards and with the large contracts the foursome are on, were able to speak out against the injustices in the US without worrying about sponsors pulling out of deals.

Some of the squad are still waiting for the big pay day but Anthony believes that that is no longer an excuse.

“At the end of the day, the tragedies that’s happening, it affects people,” Anthony said. “We’re athletes, but at the end of the day we’re human beings, so we’re affected by all of that. We have families that are in some of those cities.”

The New York Knicks forward has a history of standing up against the deaths of black men by police offiicers.

He took part in the protests in his hometown of Baltimore last year following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.

He also was featured alongside current National Basketball Assocation players in an ad campaign to stop gun violence.

With the deaths of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling and the attacks, and deaths, of police officers Anthony took to social media to once again ask for people to put down the guns.

“I’m the kind of a guy who likes speaking behind closed doors. I don’t like taking credit,” Anthony said.

“I really like talking to guys one on one. Any of my colleagues will tell you I’ve had that voice. They always came to me for that type of advice.

“But now is an opportunity to get it out there. It’s a very sensitive time for us.”