Carmelo Anthony can't hold in excitement as son Kiyan Anthony's Syracuse jersey number gets unveiled: "That 7 hits different"
Carmelo Anthony's #15 jersey was retired by Syracuse back in 2013, so his son, Kiyan Anthony, cannot wear that jersey number when he plays for the Orange next season. However, Carmelo wore the #7 jersey when he played for the New York Knicks, and this is the number that his son will be taking up once he arrives in Upstate New York.
The Syracuse MBB account confirmed that Kiyan Anthony will indeed wear the #7 jersey when he plays for the Orange, while also revealing the jersey numbers of the other incoming freshmen.
As the Instagram account revealed, Australian Luke Fennell will be wearing #9, while four-star Sadiq White Jr. will wear the #0 jersey. Finally, three-star Aaron Womack will be donning the #14 jersey in Upstate New York.
The jersey number reveal got many people talking, including Kiyan Anthony's NBA legend dad, Carmelo, who addressed his son wearing his former number for the Knicks.
"DAMN!!! That 7 hits different at Cuse," commented Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony.
Carmelo had one of the most legendary freshman runs at Syracuse in 2023. He took the Orange all the way to the NCAA finals for the first time and won it all. After delivering the school its first and only national championship, the elder Anthony left for the NBA, where he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets.
Despite being a one-and-done, Syracuse honored Carmelo by retiring the #15 jersey and naming one of its gyms after the NBA legend. His son is aiming to surpass his father at the school, but this is a tall order given what Carmelo has done in just his senior year at Syracuse.
Kiyan Anthony left Long Island Lutheran with a lasting legacy
Despite missing much of the season due to injury, when Kiyan Anthony finally came back in January, the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders had an 18-game winning streak, which lasted until April, only bowing out in the EYBL Scholastic championship game against Link Academy.
After that, the Crusaders went on to win the Throne Hoops national title and then competed in the Chipotle Nationals, losing in the second round in an overtime thriller against Darryn Peterson and Prolific Prep.
Despite not being selected as a McDonald's All-American, Kiyan became a Jordan Brand All-American and won MVP honors in the Jordan Brand Classic in April. He also played in the Iverson Classic in May.