Knicks Legend's Son About to Enter Spotlight
Former New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony has been retired from the NBA for two seasons now, but his family name could soon be back in the spotlight.
Anthony's son, Kiyan, is entering his senior year of high school this fall at Long Island Lutheran High School, and he's considered one of the top prospects for the Class of 2025.
ESPN has the younger Anthony ranked 45th in the class and his dad is excited about what's to come for his son.
"I’m taking it day to day," Anthony said via Andscape. "For one, I’m allowing the information, the access and the landscape to play itself out where he can just play basketball and have fun. That’s my thing: I want him to enjoy this moment. He’s supposed to be enjoying high school. He’s supposed to be enjoying AAU. He’s supposed to enjoying being a 16-, 17-year-old kid. Basketball, the business side of it, shouldn’t weigh more than the love of it. What he has done now is he has actually fallen in love with the game of basketball."
Anthony will have the privilege of entering the next phase of his basketball life two years behind Bronny James, LeBron's son, who went No. 1 in the 2003 NBA Draft just before Carmelo went No. 3.
The media has poured into the pressure for Bronny, and there's hope that Kiyan won't have to experience the same kind of media exposure and pressure. But once Kiyan reaches the college level, things may change.
Kiyan is a four-star shooting guard with offers from Bryant, Dayton, George Mason, Manhattan, Memphis, and his dad's alma mater, Syracuse.
While he has yet to commit to a school, Kiyan is excited about the idea of following in his dad's footsteps and attending Syracuse, who hasn't won a title since his dad led the Orange to victory back in 2003.
Unlike his father, however, Kiyan doesn't have to deal with the struggles of familial poverty, which fueled Carmelo's desire to get better.
"A lot of people’s motivation is money," Anthony said. "That’s unfortunate. But it’s also fortunate, too. In those situations, I had to say, ‘I got to get out of [Baltimore].’ My situation was different. That was motivational. It was unfortunate that was what I had to do to get out, but it was fortunate that I had something to actually look forward to. Him, that is not his why. He has a different why. You don’t have to deal with the things that I had to deal with."
Regardless of Kiyan's desires, it's clear that he is doing this not because he has to or because wants to be better than his dad, but rather for the joy of the game.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.