Carmelo Anthony Explains Why His Son Shouldn’t Take ‘One and Done’ Path to NBA

The former Syracuse star spent just one season in college himself.

Carmelo Anthony’s successful basketball career began at Syracuse, where he won a national championship in his only collegiate season before entering the NBA draft. However, despite his one-and-done path, Anthony doesn’t recommend leaving college after one season, especially to his son.

Anthony explained on his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, that he has told his son, Kiyan Anthony, to not even think about how quickly he can make it to the NBA.

“I don’t even preach one-and-done to him, I don’t even want you to start thinking that right now,” Anthony said. “We ain’t rushing nothing, you going to college. If you have to stay for two, if you have to stay for three, we adapt as we go. If you ready to go after your first year, then we’ll look at it.”

Melo doesn’t preach "one and done" to Kiyan, no matter how big his potential is. pic.twitter.com/uSnPg1UVdo

— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) February 9, 2024

Kiyan is a high school junior who still has nearly two years before he starts his college career, but he is currently a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports. When it is time for Kiyan to choose a college, Carmelo seems ready to make sure he doesn’t base his decision on only playing one season. 

Anthony’s opinion isn’t just for his son, as he thinks all basketball players should stay in college for more than a year.

“Guys who come out one-and-done, or they go to [NBA G League] Ignite, then they come to the league, they start falling off,” Anthony said. “I can’t rate you, as a pro right now, at 16, 17 years old. You still haven’t physically developed yet, you still haven’t thought the game yet, you don’t even know how to move on the court.”

Many of the best college players use the one-and-done strategy, but the introduction of NIL deals has made it more likely that they stay in college. Wherever Kiyan goes, expect him to play college basketball for multiple seasons.