During their high school years in the late 90s, Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton witnessed first-hand the many on-court heroics of Carmelo Anthony.
This past weekend in Puerto Rico, Stoudemire and Felton were able to soak in the brilliance of Anthony off the court through his community outreach.
For the third summer in a row, the Knicks star remodeled basketball courts in a poor neighborhood -- and this time, he hosted a free-admission celebrity softball game with Stoudemire, Felton, Marcus Camby, NBA player J.J. Barea, former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams and rapper Fat Joe. Unfortunately due to weather, the game couldn't go on, but they still interacted with the fans.
ESPNNewYork.com caught up with him on Wednesday for an exclusive interview about his community work and Puerto Rican roots.
Q: This week marked your third straight year going to Puerto Rico to restore basketball courts. How did the idea initially come about in 2010?
Anthony: I had always wanted to do something in Puerto Rico. My dad was Puerto Rican and I never really got to know him because he passed away when I was two years old. So I wanted to honor my Puerto Rican heritage, and this is one way I thought that I could.
Q: What were some of your favorite moments this time around?
Anthony: This is the first time that I was able to host a weekend event. So I was able to invite friends and family to experience what I experienced the past two years. That was cool.
Q: Do you have any family there?
Anthony: I am sure I have family in Puerto Rico, but I don't know who they are.
Q: You mentioned in a previous interview, "I grew up in a situation like the kids here. It was survival of the fittest." Can you expand on that a little bit?
Anthony: I grew up in a bad neighborhood [in Baltimore, Md.], where there weren't too many options. So I understand kids like that. I want to give them some hope. I want them to know that they aren't forgotten. The people who were in the streets were protecting me from getting in the streets.
Q: Your big initiative has been to restore basketball courts in Puerto Rico. Do you have future ideas or plans looking ahead?
Anthony: Yeah. I want to work on courts everywhere. My team has started off small, so we can get some successes under our belt. So we will continue to do this in other parts of the United States and the world. We have courts done already in Syracuse as well.
Q: How would you say Puerto Rico's basketball community has grown in the past few years -- perhaps even through your outreach?
Anthony: Puerto Rican basketball has always been big. Puerto Rico is known for baseball and basketball. It's not me. It just has a history of producing some great athletes.
Q: Through the NBA or community work, how do you stay connected to Puerto Rico and its fans during the season?
Anthony: I have to get creative with Twitter, Facebook, etc. But I enjoy the Puerto Rican parade as well.
Q: How close are you with Puerto Rican NBA players J.J. Barea and Carlos Arroyo?
Anthony: I think there is an unspoken connection with these guys. We really don't get to connect much, but when there is an opportunity to support one another, we try to.
Q: Before you were traded to the Knicks in 2011, had you thought about playing in front of New York City's large Puerto Rican population?
Anthony: I have always loved New York and what it has to offer. So that includes all the people there. I love my fans no matter where they are from. I get so much love and they really do support me through the ups and the downs.
Q: What's impressed you the most about how NYC's Puerto Rican community has embraced you?
Anthony: The city has embraced me, but New York is a tough city to play in. You have to be strong. But this is where I wanted to be. There's no other place like it.
