We’ve already seen NBA players of yesteryear produce NBA-worthy talent in the likes of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and more, but now it’s time for the next generation.
Leading that cohort is, of course, Bronny James, who’s currently his father’s Los Angeles Lakers teammate, and next up from that era is Carmelo Anthony’s son Kiyan. The younger Anthony recently sat on his dad’s podcast at 7PM in Brooklyn to talk about the pressures of following in his dad’s footsteps and the nepo baby allegations. He was joined by newly minted rookie Dylan Harper, son of five-time NBA Champion Ron Harper.
“Bronny [James], I kind of felt bad for him, that’s my guy. He doesn’t speak a lot, he’s not gonna go on the internet and say what he’s gotta say, but like deep down, like behind closed doors, he probably was going through it,” Kiyan said.
He continues, “Like you’re seeing this every day, you’re on social media, you can’t even scroll twice without seeing a post with your name on it.”
What seems to baffle Kiyan the most is those who think he didn’t deserve to be the 55th pick, and defends his talent.
“At the end of the day, he’s nice… People trying to say he’s not good… I think he’s really nice and I think he really has a chance to prosper in the NBA,” he adds.
Carmelo adds that despite all the external pressures, NBA kids are just focused on silencing the noise and balling out instead.
“It’s very difficult for them, but I will give them credit because they really don’t give a f-ck as much as everybody else give a f-ck,” Melo said.
A major difference between Bronny and LeBron is that he didn’t skip college and instead went to USC for a year, but his lone season was a bit complicated after he suffered cardiac arrest, which slowed his basketball progression.
As for Kiyan, he’s following Melo’s lead. After graduating from Long Island Lutheran High School last month, he’ll be heading upstate New York to join the Syracuse Orange basketball team, where former head coach Jim Boheim still has influence as the Special Assistant to the Athletic Director.
Syracuse offered Anthony a scholarship two years ago, along with 17 other schools, including Tennessee, Rutgers, Auburn, USC, Arizona State, and Ohio State.