Kiyan Anthony reveals how he responds to pressure to live up to family name

KIYAN Anthony is the son of an NBA legend – but he is poised to become a star in his own right.

Kiyan’s dad is Carmelo Anthony, who had an iconic 19-year NBA career with the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, among others.

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Kiyan Anthony is the son of NBA star Carmelo AnthonyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Kiyan lines up against Bronny James during a high school game in 2022Credit: Getty

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Kiyan and Carmelo attend a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in 2023Credit: Getty

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Former LA Lakers star Anthony had an iconic 19-year NBA careerCredit: Getty
And the 17-year-old has emerged as one of the best high school stars in New York in the past year, earning a flood of offers from elite college programs.

Kiyan plays for Long Island Lutheran High School and he is in ESPN’s top 50 players for the class of 2025.

He has averaged 10.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest for No. 3 Long Island Lutheran this season.

Now he has the NBA in his sights.

“The NBA wasn’t in the picture [a year ago] because I didn’t know how good I was and I didn’t know how good I was going to be,” Kiyan told the New York Post.

“Once I started going to work out and play with my AAU team, I realized, ‘Oh this is actually fun.’

“When I got to high school, I didn’t think I was really good, but this past year I took a big leap and now I feel like I can compete with the best in the country.”

Kiyan has had offers from Indiana, Michigan, Florida State, Maryland, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Memphis and Tennessee.

He has also received a scholarship offer from Syracuse, whom Carmelo led to an NCAA national championship in 2003.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is also getting significant help from his dad as he plots his journey to the NBA.

“I feel like a father now,” said Carmelo, who earned $262 million over his career.

“I feel like an everyday father — somebody who’s there, waking up with you, I get to plot and plan and strategize the way parents do with their kids, and not doing it from afar, in another city, in a hotel.

“I can really guide him now. I’m more excited about that than anything.”

Kiyan admits there is added pressure thanks to his family legacy in the sport – but he is not fazed by the spotlight on him.

“Definitely a lot of pressure, you know there is automatically going to be a lot more eyes on you just because your name and who you are so if you live up to it then you do, but if you don’t people are going to criticize you in whatever you do,” Kiyan told MaxPreps.

“If you score 20 they want you to score 30, if you score two points they want you to score 10 so you just have to stop listening to them at that point and focus on your game.”