Kiyan Anthony Commits to Syracuse, Following Carmelo’s Legacy

Kiyan Anthony, the 17-year-old son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, has made it official to play college basketball for the Orange, continuing the Anthony legacy at Syracuse University. Syracuse’s first and only national championship was won by Carmelo, who solidified his place in NCAA history during his freshman season in 2002-03.

The moment Kiyan announced his decision to go to Syracuse 🙌 https://t.co/M6pRRtjshK pic.twitter.com/rATyFfnx5x

— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) November 15, 2024

Kiyan, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York, is making his own mark. Ranked No. 48 nationally by Rivals and No. 15 among shooting guards, Anthony has showcased his elite scoring ability. This summer, he led all players at the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Top 100 Camp with an impressive 28.5 points per game, and averaged 19.6 points in the Nike EYBL circuit playing for Team Melo.

Kiyan was offered a scholarship by Syracuse two years ago, despite heavy interest from other top-tier programs like Tennessee, Indiana, USC, and Ohio State. In the end, Kiyan decided to honor his family’s legacy, revealing his choice on Carmelo’s podcast, ‘7PM in Brooklyn’.

“At the end of the day, only one could stay,” Kiyan said during the announcement, joined by his mother. “And with that being said, I’ll be committing to Syracuse University.”

Carmelo, who played his only season at Syracuse and averaged 22.2 points and 10 rebounds, gave his son advice on how to handle the inevitable comparisons to his legacy.

“My message to him was, don’t be afraid of it, embrace it,” Carmelo shared. “The guys that looked at me, that watched me, is not your fans. You have an opportunity to carve out a whole new fan base. My [time] was 20 years ago. …You’ve got a new fan base, you’ve got new energy.”

Kiyan is tasked with stepping out of his father’s shadow, but he also has the opportunity to write his own story in Syracuse basketball history. The Orange is excitedly anticipating his arrival, with fans anticipating another Anthony-led resurgence.

Carmelo Anthony’s influence at Syracuse is still widely recognized, but Kiyan’s journey begins with the promise of building on that legacy and demonstrating that greatness is a family trait.