Kiyan Anthony has announced his highly-awaited college decision. He will be joining his father Carmelo Anthony’s alma mater Syracuse for his NCAA stint. In the celebration party of the announcement, Melo, who stood there beaming as a proud father, was asked how he was feeling about his son following in his footsteps.
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The NBA legend said that it was nerve-wracking for him for a couple of reasons. The toughest thing for him throughout the whole process was to make sure that he wasn’t influencing Kiyan’s decision in any negative way. The former National Champion for Syracuse wanted his son to be in charge of his own career.
He said, “The hardest part about this was like allowing him to go through the process and biting my tongue.”
Melo realized that anything he’d tell Kiyan might make the 17-year-old lean towards it. In the long run, it wouldn’t have been good for him as he’d eventually realize the decision wasn’t his own.
The 40-year-old added, “I’m sure could’ve steered him in a certain direction. So, it was hard not to say certain things.”
It was especially tough for Melo because he has unconditional love for his alma mater and seeing his son represent the same colors would mean so much for him. However, he still decided to distance himself from the process.
While he allowed Kiyan to make his own decision, Melo was right by his side, giving him all the necessary information about everything he wanted to know, “I just kept it strictly as a father to son. Gave him the information, allowed him to see what both pictures are and he took that decision.”
Kiyan revealed that the Syracuse coaches showing interest in him sealed the deal for him. Besides, an opportunity to grow his father’s legacy played a major role as well.
The fact that he can start for the NYC side right from the jump was also a big factor because playing for another big program wouldn’t have guaranteed him minutes.
Melo will be there to watch Kiyan play
When asked whether he will be spotted at his son’s games frequently, Melo said, “I’ve probably missed four games. Four of Kiyan’s games ever…I’m back in there. I’m back in the dome.”
Kiyan added that his proud dad will be there probably every game.
Since Melo decided to be cautious about not influencing Kiyan’s decision, even he didn’t know until very late what his son was going to announce.
When Kiyan received an offer from Syracuse in 2022, he had said, “It was beautiful because I know how much it meant to him.” However, Anthony still maintained his stance on Kiyan being the one leading himself on this journey.
