Carmelo Anthony was one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The former Syracuse basketball, Denver Nuggets, and New York Knicks star left a mark like no other. Anthony's son Kiyan followed in his father's footsteps to an extent, being ranked as one of the top high school basketball players in 2024. As the young Anthony's college decision approaches, his father has made a striking admission about his skills.
When asked what the biggest differences are between Anthony and his son, the former NBA star gave this response:
“Majority of it [is from me]. I think my game back then at 16 was a little more physical. I just had a different type of mentality because of how I was growing up and my upbringing and what I was around in my environment, so my ‘why' was a lot different,” Anthony began, via Overtime on X (formerly Twitter).
“[Kiyan] has skills that I didn't have. His court vision at this level is very high. His shot-making ability is high. And I think people look at him for being able to make shots and take away from his actual playmaking and IQ of the game.”
Kiyan Anthony is the No. 36th ranked player in the Class of 2025, according to ESPN. His skills have earned multiple Division 1 college basketball offers, including Syracuse, where his father attended before going to the NBA. In early October, Anthony's narrowed list included the Orange, Auburn, and USC.
Jamie Shaw of On3 wrote this review of Anthony earlier in the Fall:
“As he continues to get stronger and while he still needs to clean up some things with his footwork and balance, Anthony manufactured clean looks,” Shaw said. “He led the NBPA Top 100 Camp in scoring this year and he averaged 20.2 points in EYBL play. Now that he has shown he can score, it is about getting to reps to learn how to score.”
It will be exciting to watch Anthony's development as he prepares for college.