Basketball fans might expect an autobiography by a 10-time NBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist to celebrate a career highlight or two. At least note them, right? That’s not the book Carmelo Anthony has written with D. Watkins, both of whom grew up in Baltimore on the city’s basketball courts and streets.

Instead, the 37-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star, with the help of the New York Times best-selling author, chronicles his first 19 years in a raw, compelling coming-of-age story set largely around Baltimore’s rec centers, schools, and the former Murphy Homes public housing project. Hoops fans, but more so Baltimoreans, shouldn’t miss Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised as Anthony recounts weaving his way through poverty, family addiction, guns, and his own unresolved pain.

We interviewed Anthony and Watkins by email about the well-received book, which was released last week.

In many ways, this is a real Baltimore book. Readers from the city are going to appreciate it like no one else. What made you decide to focus on your years coming up—and not, say, your NBA career?
Carmelo Anthony: Everyone knows my NBA career, but what most people don’t know is how I came to be the person I am today, and that all starts at my roots. But I know my story is one I think will resonate with many people, especially those who were also raised in Baltimore and similar communities. I wouldn’t be the man you know today without the experiences I had in Baltimore and the people I grew up with there. I hope that my story not only inspires others to look at their own lives and realize they aren’t defined by their circumstances, but also encourages people with different upbringings to understand how circumstances can shape our view of the world. That’s why this story is important to tell, now more than ever.

D. Watkins: Melo really wanted to focus on everything he had to overcome just to be able to step onto the basketball court, and I think a lot of people don’t get that. Most of the standout talent, and future NBA players are allowed to only focus on basketball from as young as the age of five, but Melo had to survive Baltimore first…There’s currency in what he overcame. He’s proud of what he has accomplished, and he wants young people, from places like Baltimore, who are having a tough time to be able to dream.

Carmelo, you lost your father and then your stepfather. You talk about not having the mental health resources you needed to deal with the depression and trauma you faced as a teenager in Baltimore.
CA: For generations, people in my community were taught to never show vulnerability, that emotion was a weakness. It’s just how life was, and I’ve never held any resentment towards the community that raised me. I know I [developed] a certain toughness in me because of it, and I have my fair share of scars, but I’m glad my son doesn’t have to grow up like that and feels comfortable talking things out when he needs to. We’re always learning, always growing, and the more we talk about mental health in society, the better the generations that come after us will be because of it.

How did you guys get together to do this book?
DW: Melo’s agent at CAA was going sign me a long time ago but we never really did a deal––then when this opportunity came. I believe it went to Wesley Lowery from 60 Minutes first. Lowery thought the project was a great idea, but felt the best person to write the book was me. And Melo’s agent was like, “Oh! I know that guy!” I was truly honored, because I have been a fan of Melo and Lowery for a really long time.

Carmelo, what does being selected as the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion honoree this year mean to you
CA: It was incredibly humbling, and one of the proudest achievements of my career. Kareem is such a legend both on and off the court, and his drive to fight for equality and positive change is beyond inspiring. It’s our hope that this award inspires action, as it is up to each and every one of us to do our part to create a future for the next generation where everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of skin tone, gender, sexuality, religion, or income level.

What did you take away from guest editing Slam magazine’s Social Justice issue in 2020?
CA: For me, guest-editing the Social Justice issue was a very moving experience. I really wanted to take the gloves off with this issue, and it was important for me to use this platform to shed light on the injustices taking place and how we can find solutions to move forward. From front to back, we wanted the entire issue to make a powerful statement. It highlighted the men, women, and children who are leading the fight against discrimination, and paid homage to those who are currently doing the work to shift our culture towards equality in every corner.

It was also important to celebrate the men, women, and children who are trailblazing across the landscape of sports. It was an especially meaningful opportunity because my son joined me on the cover to represent the future.

Why does Baltimore produce so many great ballplayers? What’s special about this city, in terms of basketball?
DW: Baltimore is just the toughest city in America. And that crosses over into everything, our chefs are tough, our dancers are tough––some of our teachers, the good ones are like gladiators. So you better believe then if a person is good at basketball, then being from Baltimore is going to turn them into a great.

Under Armour launches new subscription service.
Local athletic apparel behemoth Under Armour is adding a subscription service where consumers receive a box of products and keep only what they want. A la companies like Stitch Fix and Birch Box, consumers can opt into the service every 30, 60, or 90 days. To receive an ArmourBox, users complete a personal profile that asks about fitness goals, workout settings, exercise preferences, style aesthetic, and sizing. An Under Armour stylist then hand picks 4-6 pieces of gear that the user has a week to try on and decide what they want to keep before they get charged.

“ArmourBox provides yet another level of customization and convenience,” UA said on its website. “For example, subscribers who say they run a certain number of miles each week are sent gear that we know from our Connected Fitness customers and our e-commerce data is frequently purchased and positively reviewed by other people who run those distances.”

Baltimore Running Festival takes off this weekend.
Speaking of running a certain number of miles, the 17th annual Baltimore Running Festival takes place this Saturday. There will be some changes to the marathon this year, including a new finish line at the Inner Harbor along Pratt Street instead of Camden Yards. In addition, the aforementioned Under Armour is no longer a title sponsor, but is still providing t-shirts for all the participants. And this will the first year that Catherine Pugh, who first conceived of a marathon in Baltimore nearly 20 years ago, will be mayor during the event.

“Seeing the streets of Baltimore filled with runners is something I look forward to each October,” Mayor Pugh said at a press conference. “When we started out, we knew we wanted a marathon, a team marathon, half-marathon, and we wanted a 5K because we wanted families to come to Baltimore.”

Of course, be aware of all the road closures and delays that will take place Saturday morning for the full marathon, half marathon, and 5K.

Ravens have a little bit of hope going into Sunday.
We’ll be the first ones to admit that the start to the Ravens season has left us feeling underwhelmed. But going into Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, consider these positive signs of hope:

• The team has looked better on the road. London aside and, okay, by a very small margin, the Ravens have performed better away (2-1) than at home (1-2). 
• Brandon Williams is practicing again. The Ravens defensive tackle’s foot injury has prevented him from playing in the last four games. And while a lot of other factors come into play, it’s certainly no coincidence that our defense is suffering. (The team allowed 170 rushing yards in the first two games with him and 678 in four games without.) But he practiced on Wednesday and will most likely play on Sunday. However, understandably so, Williams doesn’t want all the pressure. “I’m just a guy,” he told The Sun. “I’m just a guy who is working to get back on the field. That’s all I’m doing.”
• This could be a redemption game for Mike Wallace. Going against his former team the Minnesota Vikings could prove to be good motivation for the wide receiver. While in Minnesota, Wallace had career lows (39 receptions and 473 yards) and didn’t have a single catch longer than 34 yards. “It was humbling just because I’ve never been in a situation like that where I didn’t get the ball or wasn’t put in position to make those explosive plays,” he told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Let’s hope he makes some explosive plays this Sunday!

Carmelo Anthony came out swinging in season debut.
Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony made a good first impression with the Oklahoma City Thunder by scoring a 3-pointer to begin the game against his former team, the New York Knicks. He went on to have a strong second quarter, scoring 22 on 8-of-20 shooting in a 105-84 win over the Knicks. “Yeah, that chapter’s closed,” he told ESPN. “No more Knicks talk. We can just focus on the Thunder and moving forward and what we have to do as a team and organization.” Seems like he’s pretty comfortable in his new squad.

Carmelo Anthony’s heart is still in Baltimore. 
Though he was born, and lives, in New York, Carmelo Anthony still refers to Baltimore as home. It’s the place the 10-time NBA all-star moved to when he was 8 years old and where he spent a good chunk of his formative years on local fields and gyms, eventually growing into one of the most famous athletes to come from the city.

This week, Anthony, 33, returned as honorary chair and host of The Basketball Tournament, a three-day $2 million winner-take-all semipro championship held at Coppin State University. The current New York Knicks forward, who played at Towson Catholic (old photo alert!), sat courtside at the tournament’s ESPN-televised title game on Thursday night, and spoke about Baltimore as if he never left. “It’s a way I can bring something positive to the city,” he said of the event, which included cleanup efforts at 12 sites in the city, free health screenings at Mondawmin Mall, and a job fair at Coppin State. “Sports is a connector in life.” 

The thoughts echoed an emotional speech he gave a day earlier at Marshall Park in West Baltimore, where mayor Catharine Pugh awarded Anthony a medal of honor for service to the community. In April 2015, after Freddie Gray’s death, Anthony joined protestors and urged calm amid the outrage. “What we’re trying to create is so much bigger than the negativity that you guys hear, or see, or read about our city,” he said.

Brandon Williams keeps on dancing.
This time it was against a little girl during the Ravens’ open practice on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium

“What did you think of the dance contest? Kid or Brandon, who won?” Ravens coach John Harbaugh asked reporters afterward.
You might remember Williams’ moves (nimble for a 340-pound defensive lineman, isn’t he?) from a locker room video that impressed the Rockettes two years ago, or him doing the “Carlton”  while on promotional tour in London.

This was a nice distraction from Joe Flacco being hurt (along with seemingly a dozen other injured Ravens) before the season’s even started. And, if nothing else, the impromptu dance-off made for a great first use of the stadium’s new and massive 4K scoreboards.

O’s don’t give up the fight.
The Orioles front office apparently had higher expectations for the rest of this season than we imagined. Instead of trading closer Zach Britton or relief pitcher Brad Brach and for pieces that could help in future years—as were widely rumored as possibilities—the O’s turned into buyers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline—and aren’t giving up on the playoffs.

They got a starting pitcher, Jeremy Hellickson, from the Phillies and a former No. 1 overall draft pick, 27-year-old shortstop Tim Beckham, from the Tampa Bay Rays. Beckham’s started his O’s career with a pair of multi-hit games, and on Wednesday night Hellickson delivered what the team desperately needed, a quality start, as he led the Birds to a fifth straight win and to within 2.5 games of a playoff spot. After a loss Thursday night to Detroit, the O’s are now 3.5 games out. “I’d like this season to go to the end of the year,” GM Dan Duquette said. Thankfully, maybe October baseball isn’t as far off as we thought.

Under Armour lays off close to 300 employees.
About half the layoffs, announced Tuesday by Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, were effective immediately to employees at the company’s Locust Point headquarters, a distribution center in Curtis Bay, an outlet store near that warehouse, and Under Armour’s store in Harbor East. It’s part of what the company described as a restructuring in the wake of a second straight quarterly loss ($12 million). The footwear and apparel giant is cutting 2 percent of its worldwide workforce, or roughly 280 people. “After six and a half years of more than 20 percent growth, we are clearly operating in a different environment, especially in North America,” Plank said on an earnings’ conference call. Various financial media delved deep into the details of why things aren’t going so well but, in short, this hits home.