This week saw the announcement of Carmelo Anthony’s induction into the Hall of Fame. While it’s not surprising for the multi-time All-Star, his focuses were elsewhere. Since his playing career ended, Melo has been hyper-focused on one thing and one thing only: helping his son, Kiyan, be the player he wants to be.
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Despite missing out on the honor of being a McDonald’s All-American, Kiyan was in the news recently as he led his team to the finals of The Throne National Tournament. Kiyan’s team breezed through the high school basketball bracket, where the young Anthony even won MVP. The Throne is the biggest high school tournament in the country, so this is a massive achievement.
Melo described the tournament as “pre-March Madness.” It was played inside the American Dream Mall in an incredible-looking setup, with balconies and upper levels of the mall used as viewing platforms.
The older Anthony has long loved getting into basketball on the ground level. He has been leading the AAU Alumni Youth Basketball Advisory Council since 2024 and frequently hosts open practices for youths in his home borough of Brooklyn, New York.
However, Melo rarely turns onto his son with the same intensity he has during training camps. He has admittedly mellowed as a fan and a father, preferring to sit back and enjoy and support his son’s success.
In Melo’s own words, “It gets to a point where he’s [Kiyan] like ‘what you looking like that for?'” Remembering his own moments of hype on the sidelines has brought Anthony back to Earth, although he does still get hyped for his son. It’s hard to avoid “going full fan-mode” when your son plays for one of the top two or three teams in high school basketball.
Being so dedicated to his son, Melo was candid and heartfelt in his speech last year for Kiyan as he will be carrying the legacy of attending the Syracuse’s basketball program in the fall of 2025.
“As a father, this is a special moment–I might shed a tear… Because it was so hard, not to say much,” Anthony said.
“… It’s not easy following the blueprint when everyone else is going against the blueprint because they want you to be your own man. You’ve got a chance to put the school and the community and New York back to where it’s supposed to be.”
Kiyan is the No.1 player in the New York area and is set to join Syracuse in the fall of 2025 in a $1.1 million NIL deal. He will likely earn some playing time under head coach Adrian Autry.
The 6’5 guard is a slashing scorer with an ability to hang and finish under the basket. While his jab step and high post scoring are certainly not at the level of his father, his willingness to go in transition boosts his likelihood of playing and filling the stat sheet.
Anthony dropped 25 points and five rebounds during The Throne Final five days ago.
