The issue of gun violence is personal for King. “I had several co-workers who lost their kids to gun violence,” he said. “I have several friends I grew up with who lost their lives to gun violence. A long time ago, I was shot at.”

For this reason, King contacted David Caba, an experienced cure violence leader and vice president with B.R.A.G., to ask for his help with promoting the Gotham City Panthers. As previously reported, B.R.A.G. works with young people, community residents and organizations, and the public to promote safer streets and new community norms where violence is not accepted.

Program staff help reduce gun violence by identifying youth at risk for retaliatory violence, working with victims and their families and friends to help prevent future violence, and providing links to resources and follow-up services.

Before the basketball tryouts take place, King has asked Caba to address the team recruits on the topic of gun violence. For his part, Caba is interested, and knows firsthand how sport can be used to engage youth. B.R.A.G. already launched a successful boxing program at St. Barnabas Hospital’s Healthplex in Little Italy, as reported by Norwood News.

In reference to B.R.A.G.’s ongoing community outreach and intervention efforts, Caba told Norwood News in a phone interview on March 2, “We spoke to different organizations prior to the pandemic.” One of those was Gotham City Panthers. “We are trying to reconvene those conversations,” he said.

In terms of its success rate, Caba said B.R.A.G. reduced gun violence by 50 percent within its first year of operation in The Bronx in 2014. Drawing on five years of shooting data at the time, B.R.A.G.’s violence interrupters identified the most dangerous areas for shootings and homicides in the 46^th precinct, which covers Fordham, University Heights, Morris Heights, and Mt. Hope. These areas were East 183^rd Street up to Fordham Road, and East 188^th Street between Jerome Avenue and the Grand Concourse.

In 2013, there were eight shootings in these areas. “When we implemented our program in 2014, there were four shootings in that hot zone,” Caba said. B.R.A.G. have since expanded their work into the 47th and 52^nd precincts. Caba attributes the effectiveness of the group to the identity of its messengers, some of whom have firsthand experience of street violence. “The key to it is credible messaging,” he said. “The very individuals that were affecting others were the cure. That is why it is so successful.”

Caba has a pretty good idea of what he might say in a speech at the tryouts for Gotham City Panthers, saying he would start out with simple questions centering on people’s personal experience with gun violence and whether they know anyone who has made it rich off of street activity.

Meanwhile, besides inviting B.R.A.G. to the basketball tryouts, King also plans to invite some rappers he knows. He has had conversations with Azie Faison, founder of the Hip-Hop group, Mobstyle. Faison has appeared on VladTV multiple times. “He has street credibility,” King said.

Once he has assembled his team, King would like to place them in tournaments with some of the City’s prominent teams like the Riverside Hawks and the New York Gauchos. “I want my team to play against teams that have established names, so we can get recognition,” he said.

Another future goal is to provide unique opportunities to his players. “I want to sponsor them so they can do basketball camps during the offseason,” King said. “I want to buy them pairs of sneakers and have family nights where I take the family out to a Knicks game.”

To cover these expenses, he plans to seek funding from several sources, including the Office of the Bronx Borough President. “I would ask for a certain amount and divide it among all those things I need,” King said. For now, the priority is to secure use of a gym to schedule practice sessions for his players four days a week. “I want to get them tournament ready,” King said.

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.