Carmelo Anthony visits Rio favelas, plays pick-up basketball with local kids

Published Aug. 16, 2016 7:08 p.m. ET

foxsports

With two full days off between Team USA's final pool play game vs. France and its quarterfinal matchup vs. Argentina, the players have been out and about in Rio de Janeiro when not in the gym practicing.

On Tuesday, New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony used his down time to visit parts of Rio's notorious favelas:

During the visit, Melo stopped by a local basketball court to join some Santa Marta children in a pick-up game:

Seeing a man rise to A-List fame from similar conditions growing up in self-described "rough" Brooklyn-Red Hook and West Baltmore neighborhoods, and then revisit these roots with a sense of humility/acting like he's just one of the kids again — pretty damn cool, if you ask me.