17-year-old son, Kiyan, said he is frying his dad, Carmelo Anthony, after being asked if he could’ve beat his father at 16 years old.
In Thursday’s episode of “7PM in Brooklyn,” Anthony’s podcast with The Kid Mero, the two discussed a viral video from the week before of Anthony’s 16-year-old son, Kiyan Anthony.
In the video, Kiyan was asked by Made Hoops whether he or a 16-year-old Carmelo would win in a 1-on-1.
“I’m frying him,” Kiyan said. “He wasn’t nice until he was 17.”
Anthony laughed at his son’s bold statement, but didn’t seem too offended. “I’m f—ing with the fact that he believes that and he exude that confidence,” he said.
Carmelo’s impact extended beyond high school, as he went on to have a remarkable freshman year at Syracuse University, leading his team to an NCAA championship in 2003. His impressive college career set the stage for him to declare for the NBA draft, where he was selected as the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in 2003.
Reflecting on Carmelo Anthony’s skills at 16, it becomes evident that even during his formative years, he displayed the promise and potential that would eventually make him a ten-time NBA All-Star. His journey from a standout high school player to an NBA icon underscores the early signs of greatness that defined Carmelo’s basketball legacy.
“With that being said, me at 16, I had a different struggle,” Anthony said. “I had a different motivation, that was keeping me going, that lit my fire, that it was killed or be killed.”
Anthony said that when he was 16, he was highly motivated to get to the next level, and would get rid of obstacles (and people) who were in his way.
“This is my ticket. If I don’t make this I have nothing,” he said of his mentality at the time. “17 is when I got my growth spurt, but by that time the mentality was already there. So all the growth spurt did was enhanced that mentality,” Anthony said.
Carmelo — a 10-time NBA All-Star — was a McDonald’s All-American at 18 before going one-and-done at Syracuse. Kiyan, a member of the Class of 2025, is a consensus four-star recruit as a guard at Long Island Lutheran.
Carmelo playfully dismissed the idea of Kiyan beating him in a one-on-one, jokingly saying:
“So no, get the f*** out of here, Ky.”
Adding humor to the situation, Carmelo Anthony acknowledged the evolving generational talent, acknowledging that Kiyan, at 16, possesses skills that surpass his own abilities at the same age.
“And also, he got some sh** at 16, that I wouldn’t fathom of doing at 16.”