VIDEO: Melo heads to Cuba, brings Vice Sports along for the ride

New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony has always embraced his Caribbean roots.

The 31-year-old baller - whose father is Puerto Rican - was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., before moving to Baltimore, Md., at the age of eight.

His wife, TV personality Alani "La La" Vaszquez, is also of Puerto Rican heritage.

On Tuesday, the first episode of "Stay Melo" - his new web series in partnership with Vice Sports - aired online. In it, Anthony travels to Havana, Cuba, to experience first-hand the growing popularity of soccer in a country built upon a foundation of baseball.

A cigar-rolling tutorial also has the 8-time NBA All-Star giddy as he visits a local factory.

The show's aim is not necessarily to focus on basketball, but rather to shed some light on some of Melo's other interests.

"I like to get outside the box," Anthony explains. "I like to tell the stories that nobody else is telling, the stories that aren't already out there that people can't search or Google or look up on YouTube or places like that.

"As athletes, there's more to us than just throwing a football, or swinging a bat, or kicking a soccer ball, or shooting a three or dunking. There's more to us."

All "Stay Melo" episodes will appear in Vice Sports' new "Clubhouse" section.