There’s a perception out there that today’s athletes are softer than generations past, that they’re not as open to tough coaching and constructive criticism. It’s inarguably a good thing that we hardly ever see coaches being verbally or physically abusive to their players these days. That’s not to say that a little tough love is a bad thing, because some athletes respond to that and are fueled by it.
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Basketball has its share of legacy kids, those whose fathers made their mark on the game and are now trying to blaze their own path. Steph Curry is a famous example, as his father Dell had a productive 16-year career. Bronny James has joined his dad on the Lakers and Ron Harper’s son Dylan went No. 2 overall to the Spurs.
There are many other NBA examples of players whose dads also played, and the college ranks are full of these guys, too. One of them is Kiyan Anthony, the son of Carmelo, who followed in his father’s footsteps by playing for Syracuse.
Melo has spoken often about the ways in which he supports his son on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, and he’s even had him on as a guest before. This week, he joined Shaquille O’Neal on The Big Podcast, and went in-depth on how he’s passed some of the lessons he learned on to Kiyan.
When asked by Shaq if he was a yeller, Melo said, “Behind closed doors I was. I was a yeller, but more like, ‘Here’s why I’m yelling.’ I’d yell then I’d be like, ‘Come here man, let me break it down to you. Here’s what you missed, because you think you got it right, but I’m gonna show you why you ain’t got it right.'”
Whatever Melo did, it seems to have worked, because Kiyan was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. And as a freshman he’s already contributing on a team that’s 6-3 against a tough schedule by scoring 10.7 points in just over 23 minutes per game.
Melo said that in his day, young people had respect for those that were yelling at them, whether it was a parent, an aunt, uncle, grandparent or coach. Times have changed, though, and he admitted that most kids don’t want to hear that. He’s grateful that his son is different.
“What made it easier for me with my son was he listened,” Melo said. “He always was an observer, he was around it, he was a sponge. And when it came time for me to really give him the knowledge of the game, he understood it, because he’s seen it, he’s been through it.”
Melo is hitting on something that may explain why there seems to be so many legacy athletes finding success today across the sports landscape. The NFL is full of guys whose dads played, and so is Major League Baseball.
Maybe today’s athletes don’t have that same level of respect for the mentors trying to teach them, and maybe that’s why those whose parents played are prospering, because they grew up with it and saw what it takes.
Not forcing his son down the same path that he took was a key part of Melo’s parenting. “Once it came time for basketball, the level of respect was there, and now I could just teach,” he said.
“You come to me when you’re ready. You can go play baseball, you could go swim, do whatever the hell you wanna do. But when you’re ready to talk basketball, I’m right here for you,” Melo added.
Melo’s parenting style is something a lot of people could learn from, and it will continue to serve him and Kiyan well. Take a peek courtside during many Syracuse games and you’ll often see him there cheering him on.
