What would Kiyan Anthony bring to Syracuse? Celebrity, talent and history make him a unique force

Syracuse, N.Y. — Carmelo Anthony ended his NBA career less than two years ago and immediately cast a blazing spotlight on his son.
In an Instagram video that began with a montage of the best moments in his career, Anthony shifted the attention to the teenager: “My legacy, my son, is in you. I will forever continue through you. Because the time has come for you to carry this torch.”
Carmelo’s basketball torch has been carried to four Olympic Games, 10 All-Star Games and will wind up in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Among so many great moments it may have burned brightest in Syracuse, where Anthony led a team that won the school’s only national title in men’s basketball and provided Central New York one of the top sporting moments in its history.
His son is a consensus top-40 recruit nationally, a unique combination of high-level player and high-wattage name. He is a basketball talent, celebrity and influencer.
Kiyan will make his college choice Friday. He will pick among two schools and announce his college basketball destination on the “7 p.m. in Brooklyn” podcast hosted by his father.
Kiyan in Syracuse has the potential to raise the Orange’s profile nationally, attract more primetime TV appearances, bring in more donor money for players to get paid and generate excitement by ensuring Carmelo’s regular presence around the program.
His father said on a recent visit to “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon that Kiyan is choosing between Syracuse and Southern California.
It is a fascinating decision for a young athlete whose messaging fluctuates between wanting to build a name of his own and one eager to follow the family line.
His father’s jerseys adorn his bedroom. He named his dog, Seven, after his father’s NBA number.
“He kind of surprised me with the retirement video, it being dedicated to strictly me,” Kiyan said on “The Evolution,” a documentary series on YouTube that focuses on his life. “It was like, ‘Oh wow, he really believes in me, he really thinks I can do this.’ ”
While Carmelo’s retirement statement included elements beyond basketball, Kiyan was showcased as a hooper. It wouldn’t have been delivered by a father seeking to protect his son from pressure.
“Melo’s retirement message to Kiyan, I thought it was incredible, but I was like, ‘That’s a hell of a lot of pressure,’ ” his mother, La La Anthony, said on the online show. “But if anyone can do it, I know my son can. We just want to support him in every aspect of his journey and see how it goes.”
Carmelo is one of the rare people in the world who can be identified by a single name, whose retirement pursuits have included watches, wine and media.
His mother is a former MTV host and actress who has shown off her life through reality shows like “La La’s Full Court Wedding” and “La La’s Full Court Life.”
Kiyan has followed suit, showing off the past two years of his life in the documentary series produced by Overtime, a basketball content company. Most episodes have been watched at least 300,000 times on YouTube. One released last week has already been watched 170,000 times.
Another video produced by Ball is Life has racked up 2.6 million views. In it, Kiyan gives a tour of his house, works on his game and takes a shot of hot sauce with friends in an upscale bowling alley.
The 17-year-old appears comfortable with all of this, even the contradiction of trying to make a name for himself when untangling him from his father is impossible.
In the documentary series, the “T” in Evolution is replaced by a 7, another nod to his father. Fans often refer to him as “Little Melo.”
The first episode of the series is titled: ‘I’m not just an NBA player’s son.”
The second one: “I Deserve To Be Here.”
Kiyan comes across as exceptionally likable in the series and self-aware for a child of two celebrities.
In addition to VIP encounters, the show chronicles Kiyan hanging out with old friends, participating in a Hot Chip Challenge and playing 1-on-1 with his mother. He seems to enjoy hanging out with childhood friends as much as other elite recruits in his class and is briefly starstruck when meeting NBA All-Star Paul George during a taping of his father’s podcast.
Carmelo Anthony carried himself the same way during his one season at Syracuse, remaining an approachable and friendly presence on campus despite his growing status as one of the best college basketball players in the country and a future millionaire.
Carmelo enjoyed his time in Syracuse so much, he has said, that his head coach, Jim Boeheim, had to tell him he couldn’t turn down being one of the first picks in the NBA draft.
Carmelo cried at his goodbye news conference. He said he considers the 2003 national title the biggest achievement in his basketball career.
“I went to Syracuse to be there,” Carmelo said in “Will to Win,” Syracuse.com’s documentary on the championship season. “At least two years. I want to experience this, I want to go to college.
Carmelo came here as the top-ranked high school player in the country. Kiyan does not arrive with as lofty a ranking, though both could have gone to nearly any school in the country.
Kiyan is a four-star recruit. His first three offers were from lower-level programs, but Kiyan worked to build himself into a player that schools like Syracuse would want. Three months ago, he was bumped up to the top prospect in New York in the Class of 2025 by ESPN.
His stock skyrocketed last summer when he ranked 11th in the country’s top AAU circuit, averaging 19.6 points per game in the Nike EYBL with Team Melo, a program co-founded by his father.
Kiyan said Syracuse impressed him because he felt like the school valued him as a player and not just because he was Carmelo’s son.
Kiyan’s recruitment has been covered rigorously by reporters and recruiting websites leading up to Friday’s reveal on Carmelo’s podcast.
When Anthony committed to Syracuse, he had planned an announcement at Towson Catholic High School on his 17th birthday. He scooped himself by revealing his choice to a recruiting website instead.
In the documentary series, Kiyan touches on the challenges of being Carmelo’s son. There are sky-high expectations that come from that lineage. Other recruits have tried to make their name by outplaying him, knowing they could grab their own taste of social media fame with a dunk on Carmelo’s kid.
But to his credit, Kiyan doesn’t oversell the challenges. The benefits of his upbringing are far greater.
Since he was 6 years old, Kiyan has spent time working with NBA trainer Chris Brickley, who has worked with NBA stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo.
A personal driver takes Kiyan to work out in a private gymnasium in a luxe New York apartment designed by his father.
Kiyan notes that his father didn’t have access to a trainer growing up in a rough part of Baltimore and honed his game by playing 1-on-1 and 5-on-5.
He also has access to his dad, who since his retirement has poured his basketball knowledge into his son.
Carmelo’s ability to take a bigger role in Kiyan’s development coincides with his rise in the recruiting rankings and a transition from being primarily a spot-up shooter to a more versatile scorer.
“I think he’s one of the top shooters in the ’25 class,” Carmelo says early in the video produced by Ball Is Life.
“Don’t think there’s too many that can shoot like him. He had that since he was young. Now I think everything is starting to come together. His confidence is starting to come. His body is starting to come around. Once all that meshes, that’s when you start to see the real him.”
Earlier in the show, Kiyan is seen going to a deli for lunch and ordering a turkey, bacon, egg and cheese. He scoffs at his father’s healthy eating and penchant for choosing smoothies.
Later on in his workout, Kiyan starts complaining about a cramp.
“He tired,” Carmelo shouts as his son struggles to finish the drill. “He tired. He tired.”
Kiyan groans.
“That’s that turkey, bacon, egg and cheese,” Carmelo says with a cackle.
In other moments, Carmelo is shown being more encouraging.
Kiyan played AAU basketball for Team Melo, flying in from New York to join the Baltimore-based squad. Carmelo often cheered for the team from the sidelines. He didn’t coach but occasionally jumped into the team huddle to deliver a message.
Carmelo said he watched those games and they broke down film, deciding which skills would be most beneficial. They worked on specific abilities like how he could get his shot off in small spaces and quickening his release.
“Depends on how the week is going,” Carmelo said about their workouts in “The Evolution.” “What I see in the tournaments. I watch the film and see what he needs to do. Fans see him coming into his own. That’s the most important part.”
Kiyan comes across as humble in the video series, setting his goals in a reasonable place. He wants to make the NBA. He wants to be a productive player once he is there.
He also has off-court interests. He has more than 900,000 followers on Instagram. He has his own underwear line with a company that also helps dress Bronny James, LeBron’s son.
He has started his own clothing brand — One Way Clothing — with a childhood friend and is billed as having done six-figures of business.
Kiyan has attended fashion shows and the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his mom; and he sat courtside with his father and Jimmy Fallon at the Olympics in Paris this summer as the United States won gold.
At a Drake concert, the musician stopped to offer a hug. After Paul George was a podcast guest of his father’s, Kiyan worked out with the NBA star and AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 player in his class.
In the documentary series, Kiyan signs autographs for fans at AAU games. A fan travels from Dubai to attend a pop-up sale for his clothing company.
Kiyan recently signed with sports agency WME Sports. His mother is also repped by WME and the company’s basketball division is run by Carmelo’s former agent Bill Duffy.
The agency claims to sit “at the center of culture” and to be “the original advocate for the world’s most extraordinary talent.” It represents stars in television, movies, music, fashion and sports.
Kiyan could be the biggest example Syracuse has seen of the modern-day, multi-faceted athlete, one who has multiple interests and who capitalizes financially on the new era of college sports.
Before playing a game in college, Kiyan is already ranked No. 57 on On3.com’s NIL valuation list with a value of $1.1 million. Only 12 basketball players in the Class of 2025 are deemed more valuable.
The list is topped by Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne is No. 2. Kiyan already has NIL agreements in place, including one with Nerf, the famous children’s toy company.
He has lived his young life like someone eager to take their place in the spotlight.
He can share it in Southern California. He can own it in Syracuse.
The teenager will choose his path Friday.