"It was so f**king hard" - Carmelo Anthony sheds tears while describing son Kiyan Anthony's commitment to Syracuse
After considering his options and thinking things over, Carmelo Anthony's son, Kiyan Anthony, committed to play collegiate basketball at Syracuse. In the latest episode of the future Hall of Famer's 7 p.m. "In Brooklyn" podcast, Kiyan Anthony dropped the news that basketball fans have been waiting to hear.
He will follow in his father's footsteps and play college basketball at Syracuse as he looks to pursue his dream of becoming an NBA player. At the announcement party on Saturday, Carmelo Anthony became emotional while discussing Kiyan's decision.
Anthony said that he wasn't going to be getting involved in Kiyan's decision and instead would let him think things over and decide on his own. The former NBA star now seems incredibly proud his son is following in his footsteps.
"As a father. This is a special moment. And I might shed a tear, but this is a special moment because it was so f*****g hard not to say nothing. It's not easy following a blueprint. It's not easy following the blueprint when everybody is going against the blueprint because they want you to be your own man. You got a chance to put the school and the community in New York back to where it's supposed to be. You're the only one can do it. You did it the right way. You went through the struggle. You went through every level of development as a player, as a young man."
Carmelo Anthony planning to help Syracuse basketball program behind the scenes following Kiyan Anthony's commitment
In Carmelo Anthony's lone season at Syracuse, he won an NCAA title while also being named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Anthony kept close ties to the school, specifically through his Carmelo Anthony Foundation.
The former NBA star will continue to deepen his connections with the school now that his son will be attending, even if it's only for a year. After Kiyan joked Carmelo will probably be at every Syracuse game, and will probably get a house in the area as well, Carmelo said:
“I would love to help out the program any way I can. I would love to kind of bring new business developments, new business ideas, new concepts. I just think at the time that we all can kind of revitalize this community and we need everybody to do that.’’
Kiyan Anthony will join Syracuse for the 2025-26 season.