Kiyan Anthony is following in his father’s footsteps. He will play basketball at Syracuse.
The son of Carmelo Anthony — a highly touted Long Island Lutheran High shooting guard — made it official on Friday, two years after the Orange offered him a scholarship.
Kiyan Anthony is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and widely considered the top recruit in New York state as well as one of the nation’s top prospects. Syracuse had to beat out Southern California to get the commitment; Auburn and a host of other schools also recruited him.
“At the end of the day, only one could stay,” said Kiyan Anthony at his father’s “7PM in Brooklyn” Podcast, with his mother La La Anthony sitting next to him for the announcement as well. “And with that being said, I will be committing to Syracuse University.”
He donned a Syracuse cap, then hugged his parents.
“Now we can get to work,” Carmelo Anthony said.
Added La La Anthony: “I can breathe now.”
Kiyan Anthony lived up to much of the hype this past summer, putting on numerous scoring screens while averaging nearly 20 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit playing for Team Melo, a program co-founded by his father. He even starred in a game at New York’s famed Rucker Park this summer, with many former NBA players watching.
“I’m tougher on him when it comes to basketball than his dad, way tougher on him than his dad. … And then it just clicked and we see all the hard work and all the hours pay off,” La La Anthony said.
It was long assumed that Kiyan Anthony would choose the Orange, just as his father did on his way to leading Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA championship in his only college season. Syracuse’s basketball office and practice complex is named the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, as the longtime NBA star donated $3 million toward the $19 million facility.
“My message to him was, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it,” Carmelo Anthony said on the podcast. “The kids that watched me, that watched me, are not your fans. You have a chance to create a whole new fan base. My (time) was 20 years ago. … You have a new fan base, you have a new energy.”
Carmelo Anthony left a massive impact in that one year in Syracuse. He averaged 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four when the Orange won the national title, and was the national freshman of the year and a second-team All-American selection by The Associated Press.
He would go on to play 19 NBA seasons, make 10 All-Star teams, finish with a scoring average of 22.5 points, still ranks 10th all-time on the league’s career scoring list and was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. He won three Olympic gold medals for USA Basketball and was courtside in Paris – along with Kiyan – when the Americans won gold at the Paris Games this past summer for their fifth consecutive Olympic title.
Kiyan Anthony has already acquired some name, image and likeness deals and has his own business interests, in addition to working for a while with famous basketball coach Chris Brickley – whose long list of clients, among others, includes LeBron James.
