Kiyan Anthony knows better than most about his father's legacy at Syracuse, who is a finalist for the No. 36 prospect spot and a four-star recruit in the 2025 ESPN 100 rankings.
Before a decorated NBA career, Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to the 2003 national championship as a freshman. He also donated a significant sum of money to the school's basketball facilities, which now bear his name.
Despite those family ties, Kiyan Anthony said his father and mother, La La Anthony, haven't pressured him to choose Syracuse.
“(My father) never pressures me to go to Syracuse just because his name is on the gym,” Anthony told ESPN on Wednesday ahead of the launch of the second season of “The Evolu7ion” on YouTube with Overtime“He did a lot at Syracuse. He knows I'm my own person. In the end, I just have to make my own decisions.”
“If it's Syracuse, I go there a lot and practice, work out there, if that's it, that's what it is. But he's never going to tell me, 'You have to go to Syracuse. You have to go there because I went there.' He's not going to force me to follow in his footsteps unless I really want to.”
Anthony said he will choose from his list of finalists (Syracuse, Auburn, USC, Florida State, Ohio State and Rutgers) in the next two months and hopes to make another visit to Syracuse before his final decision.
At Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York, Anthony's high school career has been the subject of scrutiny because of his family. His father is a likely Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and his mother is an actress and celebrity with 15 million Instagram followers.
On his YouTube show, Anthony hopes to show what it's like to deal with the attention he's received since he was a child. But he also loves that his friends and teammates get a chance to share the spotlight with him.
“My friends may not have the same opportunities as me, but I'm the one who's been trying to keep them around,” Anthony said. “I don't want them to feel left out.”
Anthony, a 6-foot-4 guard, also said he wants to prove he’s more than just a scorer. Some of his offensive exploits, including a 15-point performance at Rucker Park in April, have gone viral, but he said he’s working to showcase his playmaking skills in his final season of high school.
And while her connection to her father grabs most of the headlines, she said her mother has also played a pivotal role in her development.
“I would say that everyone sees when the cameras are on (my dad) and then they're on me because I'm playing well, but I would say that my mom does a lot more of the background work. Like, when I'm going through something or I need to talk to somebody, my mom is definitely the go-to person,” Anthony said. “And she's the one that really pushes me to go to the gym, even if I don't want to. To go to school and keep up with my grades and stuff like that.”
From the moment he picked up a basketball, Anthony felt attached to the school where his father made basketball history as a star who led the Orange to a national title against Kansas. And while he's always entertained the possibility of becoming the next member of the Anthony family to wear a Syracuse jersey, those close to him aren't going to push him.
However, he said his upcoming visit to Syracuse and his fellow finalists will influence his decision. His parents will play a role in the process, he said, but they will not decide his future.
“Even though I know that basically everyone wants me to go to Syracuse, I haven't made the decision yet and I still have to talk to the coaches a little bit more and get into details like what other players are coming, how they want me to play, how they'll coach me and things like that,” Anthony said. “So I still have to finish my visits and ultimately make a decision. I'm going to rely heavily on my parents and their advice on how they think a school fits me.”
