Carmelo Anthony crosses Cuba off his bucket list, takes in some soccer games

The NBA rumor mill has Carmelo Anthony trying to recruit Kevin Durant to Gotham to form a dynamic duo, but in the meantime the Knicks star had the opportunity to cross a visit to Cuba off his bucket list.

During the offseason, Anthony is exploring a number of street sports cultures in a partnership with VICE Sports. The first product of their collaboration is a ten-minute video documenting his visit to Havana to witness firsthand the burgeoning interest in soccer on the island nation. To recap: a professional basketball player went to communist, baseball-and-boxing-promoting Cuba to study soccer (aka football).

Anthony’s trip was made possible, aside from the VICE connection, by a thawing in relations between the United States and Cuba orchestrated by Pope Francis and President Obama. The native New Yorker waxed philosophical in his lone Instagram post from the trip.

When we change, the world changes. The key to all change is in our inner transformation—a change of our hearts and minds. This is human revolution. We all have the power to change. When we realize this truth, we can bring forth that power anywhere, anytime, and in any situation. #StayMe7o

A photo posted by @carmeloanthony on Sep 5, 2015 at 2:03pm PDT

Perversely, Anthony opted to wear a Panama hat for the trip, but managed stay true to Cuban culture by visiting a famed cigar shop to try his hand at rolling a stogie.