Carmelo Anthony predicts son Kiyan Anthony’s growth spurt while revealing his NBA player comparison
As his son Kiyan keeps making noise, Carmelo Anthony continues to fire him up and support him in his basketball journey. Kiyan Anthony is a four-star recruit in the 2025 class and is expected to go high in the NBA draft when his time comes. First, he must decide where to go in college and then make other decisions to have the best possible career.
The talent is there and his father is well aware of that. Talking with Overtime in a video shared on Saturday, Anthony predicted that Kiyan would grow to 6'7.5" or 6'8". When asked about his NBA comparison, Carmelo said he was the upgraded version of some talented players.
"I'll try to be very honest about his comp, because I know his game. His comp is Paul George," Anthony said. "[Tyrese] Haliburton, Penny [Hardaway]. He's Penny with a great jump shot. That would be my comp. Shaun Livingston with jump shot. With a crazy jumper. That's the mold. I can't say me."
Melo added that NBA teams would try to make Kiyan a point guard despite his projected growth spurt. After claiming that if he played in today's league, he would be able to excel at and against any position, he said that his son has a different understanding of the game and a high basketball IQ thanks to watching the game from a young age.
As of right now, Kiyan has a big decision to make. He's been heavily linked with his father's alma mater, Syracuse, but anything could happen to his decision. Carmelo Anthony has great memories from his time in that school, but not so much about the way he left.
Carmelo Anthony explains why he didn't return to Syracuse after winning NCAA title
Earlier this week, Carmelo Anthony recalled that he wanted to stay with the Syracuse Orange for more than one year and he couldn't do it because his coach at the time, Jim Boeheim, wanted him to go to the NBA. Despite having a heated argument with the Hall of Famer, Melo was keen to defend the NCAA championship, but Boeheim had different plans.
"He told me, 'Listen, they'll leave your s**t, whatever you got in the apartment. Leave it. You don't need that. Get the f**k out of here. I better not see you back on the campus.'"
Instead, he went to the NBA, became a star in Denver, then in New York, and then played for different teams until his retirement.