LeBron James' son Bryce James and AJ Dybantsa share their reactions to Kiyan Anthony's commitment to Syracuse

By Kayode Akinwumi

Modified Nov 16, 2024 00:50 GMT

Kiyan Anthony has announced his commitment to Syracuse basketball, drawing reactions from fellow 2025 prospects AJ Dybantsa and Bryce James. Kiyan posted an Instagram reel on Friday to mark his commitment, and Dybantsa and James were in the comments to show their support.

Bryce James commented with a red heart emoji "❤️" while Dybantsa wrote, “fwi brudda.”

Other notable names in basketball also reacted, including Chicago Sky power forward Angel Reese and Duke Blue Devils guard Darren Harris. Reese wrote, “proud of you Kiy!! Go kill!!!” Similarly, Harris wrote, “Congrats killa ❤️.”

Reactions to Kiyan Anthony's college commitment (per Kiyan IG)

Dybantsa is the No. 1 overall prospect of 2025. While he has not yet made his college announcement, he is widely expected to go to BYU. Meanwhile, Bryce James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, is a three-star guard per 247Sports and reportedly has offers from Ohio State, USC, and Duquesne.

How did Kiyan Anthony choose Syracuse?

Kiyan Anthony announced his commitment to the Syracuse Orange on Friday, Nov. 15, with his dad, Carmelo Anthony present. Carmelo, who himself played for the Orange in the early 2000s, set the stage for his son's announcement, noting that the decision was solely Kiyan's. He said,

“You know me saying that I do want to set the stage for him, because it's been a long journey and a long process, and from where he started to where he's at now, I think he deserved to talk about more….

"Me and mom, we was backed out of it. We completely backed out of it in a sense of no pressure and was no side conversations. It was listening to him, understanding what's going on as we gave him all the information and the intel.”

Kiyan, a four-star shooting guard and No. 35 overall prospect according to the On3 Industry Ranking, was highly sought-after. He received offers from at least 21 colleges, according to 247Sports.

However, he gradually worked his way down from more than 20 offers to the final two options between Syracuse and USC. Prior to that, he announced his final three options in October, including the Auburn Tigers.

Before announcing his ultimate choice, Kiyan Anthony described the process leading to the choice. He said,

“So it was hard, like, just narrowing down, first I cut it to 10, and then six, and then three, and now two. So it was like whole thing with, like, calling coaches, thanking them for recruiting me and stuff, and that, obviously my parents helped me with that.”

However, to understand what made Syracuse stand out for Kiyan, one might look back on his impression of the program before his decision. He'd told On3 that the program “has a young core,” and that he “liked all the stuff” he heard from the coaching staff.