Four-star guard Kiyan Anthony -- the oldest son of former NBA legend Carmelo Anthony -- has pledged to play at his father's alma mater of Syracuse, he announced Friday. 247Sports' No. 34 player in the 2025 recruiting class picked the Orange over USC and Auburn
The elder Anthony played one season at Syracuse, guiding the Orange to the program's only national title. His 2003 NCAA Tournament run is widely considered one of the greatest performances in the history of the event.
Despite the deep family ties, Kiyan's decision has more to do with the future than the past.
"I chose Syracuse because the coaches recruited me from day one," Anthony told 247Sports. "They really showed me they were recruiting me for who I was and that it had nothing to do with my Dad. I could see the vision with Sadiq (White) going over there and being one of the most athletic people in the class, an overseas guard coming, and the potential of seniors like JJ Starling and Chris Bell coming back. Next, we just need a big man. From the vision and what they're telling me my role could be, it all made sense. USC was right there with them I'm not going to lie. There was a point where I was about to choose USC but I kept talking with my parents and ultimately decided with Cuse."
The Long Island Lutheran High School (Glen Head, New York) product is Syracuse's fourth commitment in the 2025 recruiting class, joining four-star forward Sadiq White Jr., four-star guard Luke Fennell and three-star forward Aaron Womack. The Orange now have the No. 5 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle behind Duke, UConn, Kentucky and Notre Dame, according to 247Sports.
"At the end of the day, I'm my own person," Kiyan said. "I'm not trying to technically fulfill everything my dad did at the program I'm just trying to create my own lane and show people I can also hoop. I want to get to it, lead the team, and be a good teammate. I'm not going in there with the mindset of I need to be better than my dad. That's obviously the goal but I just want to win, have fun, and enjoy college."
247Sports' director of scouting Adam Finkelstein projects a bright future for Kiyan.
Overall, Anthony already has an advanced game and a proven track record of continuing to make notable improvements with each passing season. There's plenty of potential to continue ascending too as he gets stronger, embraces the details on the defensive end of the floor, and becomes more efficient offensively by picking his spots and improving his shot selection without dominating the ball so frequently.
Kiyan is the latest son of an NBA star to pledge his college commitment. Most notably Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, committed to USC in May 2023. James played his freshman season with the Trojans before declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, where he was selected No. 55 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. Justin Pippen, the son of former NBA legend Scottie Pippen, is a freshman at Michigan.
