Photo: Doug Segars
When the time came forCarmelo Anthonyto chose a name for his memoir, the NBA star says the title didn’t come to him quickly.
But, his eventual choice —Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised— perfectly sets the tone for what’s to come inside the book.
Basketball fans are likely familiar with the broad strokes of Anthony’s life — he was raised in the Red Hook housing projects in Brooklyn, New York; moved to Baltimore when he was 8; then became a teenage hoops star at Towson Catholic High School in Maryland before transferring to Virginia’s Oakhill Academy.
After spending a year at Syracuse University, Anthony entered the 2003 NBA Draft and began a career that has included 10 All-Star nods, three Olympic gold medals, and unforgettable tenures with ballclubs such as the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and Portland Trailblazers.
Despite his success, there’s much more behind the points scored and games won, Anthony says. Yet it’s something he never imagined he’d share.
“I’ve never really wanted to tell this story,” Anthony admits. “But I really thought that the time was now to really tell my part of the story,that most people don’t know.”
Simon & Schuster
In the memoir, Anthony recalls how his early environment helped shape who he’s become.
The background adds context to Anthony’s experiences, and those of his loved ones, such as racism from neighboring communities outside of Red Hook or the violence inside of it.
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“I had to be patient,” Anthony says of the emotional energy it took to revisit the events of his past. “I had to open up to another side of me. I had to be vulnerable telling these stories.”
“You got to be vulnerable because you’re letting people into your world. If you’re not honest and vulnerable and appreciative at the same time, there’s no need to tell that story,” he continues. “If you’re going to sugarcoat a lot of things, there’s no need to write a book or tell those stories. So I really had to humble myself and be like, ‘Okay, listen I’m taking the gloves off basically. And I’m just letting you into my world and then into my childhood.’ "
While Anthony’s story is far from done — he signed with the Lakers this summer, joining his longtime friend,LeBron James, in Los Angeles — he knows the majority of his NBA career is now behind him. For that reason, he felt it was important to write a memoir sooner rather than later.
“I wanted it to still be relevant,” Anthony says when asked why it was the right time for the book. “I feel like I’m still the connected tissue to a lot of this generation and to the generation before. So I really felt like this time, like I had to do it right now. For me to still be able to touch different generations and still be relatable to different generations, younger and older, the time was perfect for it.”
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What was important to Anthony, he explains, was to write an account of his life that was unfiltered and truthful, as painful as some moments can be.
“I’m ready. I’m ready. I’m prepared. I want people to read it,” he says. “Whether you like my story or not, it’s my story. And there’s nothing false in that.”
source: people.com
