“Dirk [Nowitzki] was just frying him”: When Kiyan Anthony trolled father Carmelo Anthony but La La quickly dismissed it

Kiyan Anthony trolled his father, Carmelo Anthony, during an underwear photoshoot. The young athlete signed his first NIL deal with PSD in September 2023, joining a roster of other athletes that have signed with the leading premium underwear brand including Bronny James, Jimmy Butler, Trae Young and Marshawn Lynch.

A YouTube video posted by Overtime showed Kiyan going through a photoshoot for his PSD Collection on September 30, 2023. After the shoot, he played against his TV personality mom La La Anthony, who later joined Melo on the bench. She revealed Kiyan watched his dad's game the previous night.

When Kiyan was told his dad claimed he was watching Dirk Nowitzki play but he wasn't watching him, he denied it.

"I was watching him. Dirk was just frying him," to which La La replied, " That's not true. I watched the game."

"I didn't play the four to entertain y'all. I didn't go to the fours until I got to New York. Dirk was a real deal."

La La returned to the court to play briefly before leaving again. Then, Melo played against Kiyan in a contest in which the father and son showcased their skills.

Kiyan Anthony joins Syracuse University

Kiyan Anthony followed in his father's footsteps and committed to Syracuse University. Anthony, who made the top-40 recruit in the class of 2025, made the announcement on his father's "7PM in Brooklyn" show.

"Ultimately, it came down to my relationship with the staff," Anthony said to ESPN. "From day one, when they started recruiting me, they made me feel like it was family."

"My dad's name on the facility is special, but I want to go in there and create my own name, and I've already done that through my dedication in the offseason, with early-morning practices, playing at camps, playing on the circuit."

Apart from his father's influence, Anthony's relationship with coach Adrian Autry was a huge factor in his decision.

"I'm going to do everything Coach Autry needs me to do," Anthony said. "We talk a lot, especially late at night, about how we can make Syracuse basketball great.

"Off the court, Coach is super cool. You could go out with him on a Friday night. He's still young and connects with all his players; he is very relatable."

Despite Melo's connection to the Orange, Anthony went through a legitimate recruitment before making his decision from a final list that included USC and Auburn. The 6-5 shooting guard joins five-star forward Sadiq White, three-star wing Aaron Womack and Australia native Luke Fennel as part of Syracuse's recruiting class.