mobile app bar

20 Years Before Bronny and Kiyan’s Face Off, LeBron James’ High School Team Were Humbled By Carmelo Anthony

Rishabh Bhatnagar
Published

20 Years Before Bronny and Kiyan's Face Off, LeBron James' High School Team Were Humbled By Carmelo Anthony

LeBron James’ son Bronny James came up against Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan Anthony, at the 2022 High-School showcase event. Bronny, playing for the 25th-ranked Mustangs, had an impressive game against the 22nd-ranked Royals, helping his team to an 11-point victory, according to Bleacher Report. The faceoff took place two decades after Carmelo and Lebron faced off against each other, playing for St. Vincent-St Mary and Oak Hill Academy respectively. A

ccording to Sporting News, James finished on the losing side despite producing a big performance against Carmelo’s Oak Hill.

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony faced off in High School two decades before their sons did

LeBron and Carmelo were two of the hottest high-school prospects, both expected to come up against each other in the NBA as well. While LeBron had the larger stock, it was Carmelo’s Oak Hill Academy that came up trumps.

LeBron top scored in the match with 36 points and had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and a total of 6 steals in the game. Carmelo on the other hand, had the more impressive game.

He finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists, and went an impressive 14-25 from the field. LeBron on the other hand, could only convert 12 of the 27 attempts he made in the game.

Of course, Oak Hill was the top-ranked team in the tournament and their win meant that their season went 25-1 until that point. While the two shared an intense rivalry on the court, it was clear that there was also mutual respect. The game provided a historic picture that would go on to be revisited by NBA fans for years to come.

LeBron eventually got his revenge on Carmelo Anthony

There is little doubt that Carmelo Anthony did not have as successful a career as James. Carmelo recently announced his retirement while 4-time NBA winner James is still going strong, at the age of 38.

Anthony is also recognized as one of the best, most effortless scorers of all time. He had 10 All-Star appearances and could never win the NBA title.

The two came up against each other a total of 46 times, with LeBron winning 30 games. As far as Oak Hill was concerned, they lost Carmelo Anthony to a Syracuse in a matter of months and were humiliated by LeBron in another game, 10 months later. While both players had successful careers, they would have no inkling of the fact that their sons would also come up against each other, as long as two decades later.

About the author

Rishabh Bhatnagar

Rishabh Bhatnagar

linkedin-icon

Rishabh Bhatnagar is a Senior NBA Writer at The SportsRush. A lifelong NBA fan, Rishabh has been working as an NBA journalist since 2017. Before joining The SportsRush, he covered the NBA for another popular media platform. Rishabh is a bona fide NBA Historian specializing in uncovering stories from the league's past. He also likes covering trade rumors and player contracts. Rishabh has written almost 800 articles for The SportsRush and is always on the lookout for intriguing NBA stories. He is also a published novelist and an ardent Lakers fan.

Read more from Rishabh Bhatnagar

Share this article