*Carmelo Anthony has verbally committed to joining the Houston Rockets and will sign on the dotted line after he returns from Africa, where he and his wife, La La Anthony, were on hand last week with their son, Kiyan, to dedicate a refurbished basketball court.
Via their foundation, the Anthonys gifted the kids of Soweto the colorful outdoor hoops court. The unveiling took place prior to Saturday’s 2018 Africa Game, which featured the Basketball Without Borders Africa event at the Time Square Sun Arena in Pretoria.
“Today I watched @carmeloanthony donate his 23rd basketball court that he rebuilt and refurbished in a township in Soweto, South Africa,” La La wrote on Instagram. “This is a moment I will never forget,” she continued. “To see the smiles on these kids faces and to know we are leaving them with a place to have fun and find hope for a better future means the world to me.”
“We’ll be walking through Soweto and interacting with locals,” Carmelo said before the basketball court unveiling. He added: “I’m really excited to meet everyone, to see what is happening in the community, and to be a part of what I am creating while I am here in Johannesburg.”
After the loss of forwards Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, the Rockets prioritized Anthony, and the 10-time All-Star worked out repeatedly with Houston stars James Harden and Chris Paul this summer.
Anthony, who played with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, had opted in to the final year of his five-year maximum contract worth $27.9 million before free agency, but when the Thunder re-signed Paul George, the franchise and Anthony elected to part ways, according to Yahoo Sports. Anthony was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal on July 30 and subsequently released, but had yet to commit to the Rockets.
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