Carmelo Anthony isn’t one to forget where he came from. The New York Knicks superstar was on hand to open a pair of newly refurbished basketball courts, courtesy of his foundation, in his native Red Hook, Brooklyn neighborhood on Thursday, June 27.
DNA Info New York reports:
NBA All-Star player Carmelo Anthony returned to his old home to open two newly refurbished basketball courts in the Red Hook Houses, where the player spent his early childhood.
“It’s really, honestly, a dream come true,” Anthony said.
The Carmelo Anthony Foundation and JPMorgan Chase funded the courts’ repaving, repainting and fixes to the surrounding fence, and added new logos and a paint job to the backboards and rims.
Dozens of men, women and young players gathered around the courts at the Red Hook East Houses at 62 Mill St., some standing on the sidelines, while others pressed against the fences under the sweltering sun, just to get a glimpse of the NBA superstar.
Desean Steele, 11, who has been a fan of Anthony since he was 7 years old, remembers when the Knicks’ star first helped out the community after Hurricane Sandy.
“He was really there for us,” said the young basketball player, a student at PAVE Academy Charter School.
The Carmelo Anthony Foundation has restored basketball courts in Puerto Rico and Syracuse. But the Red Hook courts are its first refurbishing in Brooklyn. “I had a safe haven,” said Anthony yesterday. “Red Hook is my home. This is where it started.”
This past season, Melo led the NBA in scoring while leading the New York Knicks to a conference championship. Check out photos of the Red Hook courts’ unveiling in the gallery.
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Photos: Nikita Venugopal
