The 2025 Syracuse basketball team has gotten off to a strong start, sitting at 4-0. One of the biggest reasons for their strong start has been the emergence of Carmelo Anthony's son, Kiyan Anthony, who was brought in as a freshman and is following in his dad's footsteps after Carmelo first came into national prominence after he carried the Orange to a national title in 2003.
Anthony followed in his dad's footsteps and wants to make his own mark at Syracuse just like Carmelo Anthony did. On the latest episode of ‘The ACC Insider” for the Field of 68 Network, Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster asked Kiyan what Carmelo has been like as a dad watching him from the sidelines. Kiyan said they talk before and after every game, and that he's always positive and very proud of what he's done in his basketball career so far.
Anthony said, “He’s always positive. I call him before and after every game. He’s just been super proud of me.”
It is worth noting that the Orange are missing J.J. Starling at the guard spot due to a lower-body injury. However, this backcourt has not lost much of a beat, primarily because of Anthony. He is averaging 14.8 points per game, 1.8 steals per game, and three rebounds, while shooting 38.5% from the three-point line and 54.8% from the field overall.
The emergence of Anthony is the latest instance of a child of an NBA great seeing quality time in the starting lineup of a power-conference basketball team. He is taking on a role that LeBron James' sons, Bronny and Bryce, have not had in college so far. Bronny had a solid season at USC, while Bryce will most likely be redshirting this season at Arizona.
However, the best of the bunch are the Boozer twins. Cameron Boozer is playing like one of the best players in the country, and his brother, Cayden, is playing solid basketball. Cameron also has real potential to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, especially after Jay Williams compared him to Cooper Flagg.
The list of NBA stars with children following in their parents' footsteps is only going to grow, but Anthony has embraced that role and is showing off his skill set at a high level at Syracuse.
