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, instead 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.
No All-American, But So Much More
As mentioned, Kiyan Anthony failed to make the McDonalds All-American Game, likely due to the time he missed because of an injury. Though he and his father both mentioned their disappointment that Kiyan had missed out on the recognition, the future is still bright.
Kiyan is the number one player in the New York area and is set to join Syracuse in the fall of 2025. He will likely earn some playing time under head coach Adrian Autry.
The 6’5 two 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.
