Carmelo Anthony's And Ryan Lochte's Rio Experiences Couldn't Be More Different

Ryan Lochte's story about getting robbed in Rio made us imagine the worst about Brazil.

Here was a wealthy guy, telling NBC News he and his teammates were mugged by fake police, while simply heading home from a night out on the town.

It really did paint the picture of a lawless foreign land than that'll swallow any tourist who makes a single misstep.

And then this happened.

Yes, that is Carmelo Anthony, he of the New York Knickerbockers and USA Basketball team, much richer and much more famous than Lochte, literally chillin' in a favela.

Melo didn't just go there and take a quick flick so that he could have an Instagram ornament. The NBA star played basketball with some of the kids in the neighborhood.

Melo even "blessed" the neighborhood with a mural of himself.

Now, perhaps a little background is in order.

Melo visited the Santa Marta favela, which is a favela that has been "pacified," according to this Guardian report, and regularly attracts tourism.

A tour guide for the favela is the source of the video that captures Melo playing basketball, so the player's trip doesn't exactly look like a death-defying mission.

Still, it's impossible to avoid the hilarity within the contrast of Melo's trip to a Brazilian slum and Lochte's, now questionable, account of getting robbed.

Hilarious.

Citations: Guardian