Former NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony is all set to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of the Class of 2025. Ahead of that momentous day, Carmelo’s son, Kiyan Anthony, sent him a touching message via The Players’ Tribune.
“Yo pops, it’s Kiy,” Kiyan said. “You’ve been a Hall of Famer to me my whole life. All of that hard work. Every day you grindin’. Nobody seeing you work as hard as you do. Everybody take you for granted. It doesn’t go unnoticed, I’ve seen everything and I appreciate you for paving the way for me, taking on this next legacy.
“I know I’m in good hands because you gonna be right by my side,” Kiyan added. “I just want to tell you how proud I am. Seeing you get inducted into the Hall of Fame means everything to me. I appreciate you for everything. So, keep going and getting better. Love you, pops.”
Carmelo has been by Kiyan’s side on every step of his basketball journey. The son is following in the footsteps of his father as well, having joined Syracuse. Carmelo had led the Orange to their first-ever NCAA title in 2003, and Kiyan would be hoping to achieve ultimate glory with them as well.
That incredible title run with Syracuse was the first step of Carmelo’s journey to the Hall of Fame. Following that triumph, the Denver Nuggets selected him with the third pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, and he’d go on to become one of the best scorers of his generation.
Carmelo averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game over 19 seasons in the NBA. He won the scoring title in 2013 and made 10 All-Star and six All-NBA teams. The 41-year-old was honored with a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team as well.
Carmelo shone on the international stage too, having won three Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016) with Team USA. He was the first male basketball player to win three of them.
All these accomplishments made Carmelo pretty much a lock to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The 41-year-old has chosen Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade as his presenters, and he will also be getting in as part of the 2008 “Redeem Team.”
Before we get to the Enshrinement Ceremony, though, there was the small matter of handing out the Hall of Fame jackets to the Class of 2025 on Friday. Kiyan was on the stage for the occasion and put the jacket on Carmelo.
That was a wonderful moment. The 18-year-old Kiyan is the only son of Carmelo and his ex-wife La La Anthony. Carmelo would be hoping to see his son get this jacket someday in the future. He has spoken about Kiyan’s NBA comparisons, and it will be interesting to see if he turns out to be anywhere near as good as those big names.
For now, though, Kiyan’s focus will be on impressing for Syracuse. It is unclear if he’ll be a one-and-done like Carmelo was or if he’ll stay in college for a couple of years.
