CARMELO: This Hispanic Heritage Award is, is big for me because, it's a constant fight for me, with, like, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm Latino, like, I'm Afro-Latino, like, it's, it's, this is who I am.

It's like, "Oh, Melo, I didn't know you was Puerto Rican."

It's like, "Man, I'd done had a Puerto Rican flag on my hand since I was 19 years old."

You know, this award is, is special for me in the sense that the Hispanic community get a chance to say "He's one of us.

He's representing us as a people, us as a community, us as a whole."

This is an honor to, you know, to my dad, too, because his death allowed me to go on this journey of discovery.

I knew my dad was Puerto Rican, my sisters, my aunties, and everybody was Puerto Rican, and then on this side that I was actually growing up with was Black.

There was no you're Black or you're Puerto Rican, like, we are all one family.

So that's, that's how I grew up.

I lost my dad when I was 2, 3.

My dad been a part of the Young Lords for a long time.

So, he was a part of those groups that was constantly fighting for, you know, what's right for Puerto Rico.

So I was on the road of discovery for about ten years on my Puerto Rican side, while I was still going back to the Island.

I found what was our purpose, like well, what is our family purpose?

What is my what is my ancestors' purpose?

It was always, they always gave back, they always was in the community.

They always was the community.

And it gives you, you know, a newfound energy to, to, to want to reunite kinda that family.

So, me having a better understanding of my roots changed a lot for me.

It changed the way I thought about basketball.

It changed the way I thought about sports.

I'm big in community, so if I feel that, that energy from the community, like Imma embrace that.

Denver was about reviving, getting the blood pumped back into that community.

I wasn't ready to like, go out there and like, "Oh, I'm about to win the National NBA title."

Like it was just like, "No, I want to put this blue powder blue uniform on and bring this new energy to Denver.

And we going to go win 40 some games, 50 games every year.

And like just let's revive this."

New York was all business.

It was more strategic.

It was more intentional.

And, and, and with that, your game become that.

You maturing as a player too, right?

So you at your peak, you know, you're reaching your peak.

After New York: OKC, it was just like, "Damn, we in OKC now, okay, what's going on out here."

But Houston's situation wasn't, it just wasn't it.

It was, just a, wasn't a right fit.

And, and then Portland, I met Portland in the time in my life, in my career where I felt like I needed Portland and I felt like Portland needed me.

Portland, I found a home.

I found the community again.

In year 17, 18, like, it's, it's hard to do.

Then L.A. was just like, we have an opportunity to go play with each other, man, me, me and Bron, is just, "Hey, we always wanted to do it.

We always want to, you know, try to see if we can do it.

We did it on Olympics.

Let's try it now."

Sports was the only thing that kind of gave me and my community, like, it was like a stress reliever, in a sense.

Growing up, you saw the worst of the worst people, or you saw the best of the best people and everybody in between, and you saw every level of a, of personalities in those environments.

So, I was one of those kids who was hoping somebody came back and did something in my neighborhood.

So, so I'm, I'm there.

I'm, I'm, I'm down on the ground in Puerto Rico.

The people see me like it's, it's we, we talk and we have community events, basketball courts, it's been, you know, I got almost 16 basketball courts in Puerto Rico, across Puerto Rico, and I'm, I'm putting in the work in every single day to try to get those messages out there, to try to have better environments for, you know, for my fellow Puerto Ricans.

So I got to thank, you know, my dad for, you know, allowing me to go on this journey and being a part of that community because that's a, it's a special community.

For people who's on a journey of discovery, they trying to find knowledge of self, like just take your time.

Gather all the information that you can possibly gather, but sit down and take your time and, and, and put it together yourself.

Don't be afraid to go on a journey, because we really got to know who we are.

And if you don't go on your own personal journey to find out who you are, nobody else is truly going to tell you who you are.