“Everything I do is going to be critiqued”: Kiyan Anthony gets real about playing on the "court that bears father's name"

Kiyan Anthony will be playing college basketball at Syracuse in the 2025 season. Ahead of his freshman year, Kiyan opened up on dealing with the pressure of being the son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.

On Thursday, Kiyan, on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, was asked about his feelings on playing on the "court that bears his father's name," as Carmelo left a lasting legacy at Syracuse.

"Just preparing differently, because you know there’s going to be eyes on you everywhere you go," Kiyan said (13:53). "So, every time you’re in the gym, not letting up, just going as hard as you can because you already know what’s coming, so you gotta be prepared. You can’t step into what I’m stepping into not ready. So, just going into the gym every day with the mindset, like, you’re working for something more and harder than a lot of people are working for.

"A lot of people are going into a situation, you know, not a lot of pressure on them. They could, you know, make a lot of mistakes and learn and do all of that. But everything I do is going to be critiqued, and there are a lot of eyes on me. So, I just gotta go in ready. And I feel like I’m doing a good job, you know, staying in the gym and preparing."

Kiyan's father, Carmelo, played at Syracuse for one year, in the 2002-03 season, and won the national title. His No. 15 jersey was retired by the Orange.

Carmelo went on to play in the NBA for 19 seasons and earned 10 All-Star honors. Kiyan will look to have a similar, if not better, career trajectory.

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Syracuse coach eager to develop one aspect of Kiyan Anthony's game

Syracuse commit Kiyan Anthony - Source: Imagn

Syracuse coach Adrian Autry expressed his eagerness to coach four-star recruit Kiyan Anthony and help the prodigy develop his game.

“You can just tell that he (Kiyan) loves the game, and he loves challenges,” Autry said via Hoops HQ. “He’s gotten better each year, and he still has room to grow because he physically is not there yet.

"I’ve seen improvement, big jumps from year to year. He’s a guy who knows how to put the ball in the hole, and he can do other things. He’s not just a scorer. He can pass the ball and has a high IQ. His teammates love playing with him.”

Kiyan Anthony chose Syracuse over offers from Florida, Ohio State, Auburn, Rutgers and USC. It will be interesting to see whether he can live up to his father's legacy at the collegiate level before potentially heading to the NBA.