Melo: Visiting Rio favela was on 'bucket list'

Carmelo Anthony says he knew what to expect in Rio de Janeiro's notorious favelas from watching the acclaimed 2002 movie "City of God."

"I watched 'City of God' almost 100 times, and it's very, very accurate," Anthony told USA Today's Sam Amick. "It was one of them."

The New York Knicks star spent part of Monday visiting the Santa Marta favela, playing basketball with children and having himself painted in a mural. Anthony, who has emerged as a celebrity voice on the topic of social justice, also visited a slum during a 2015 trip to Cuba.

"This was on my bucket list, to be honest with you," Anthony said of the Rio excursion. "Specifically to go to the favelas ... I just always wanted to see and experience that. Growing up in Baltimore, and knowing what that was like, in my own favela, you know what I mean? So I wanted to go and experience that for myself. I wanted to touch that."

Anthony said they didn't bring security on the visit.

"We couldn't really bring the security," Anthony said. "The police really wasn't around. I had people with me, but you had to really trust the people who run that community. I didn't feel nervous. I was just enjoying the atmosphere."

There were more than 1,200 murders in Rio de Janeiro in 2015, a number that represented a 24-year low. In terms of homicides per 100,000 people, that made the city safer than Compton, Calif., according to Kenneth Rapoza from Forbes.