By Alex Kirschenbaum
Contributing Entertainment Writer
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Long Island Lutheran High School senior shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, the 17-year-old son of 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, has announced his NCAA decision, via his dad's podcast "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero," with both his parents standing by.
Although Kiyan's mother, La La Anthony, is divorced from Carmelo, the two seem to have been able to amicably co-parent their son, as evinced by her presence on the pod. They were married from 2010-21.
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The talented high school senior's choice came down to the USC Trojans and Carmelo's alma mater, the Syracuse Orange. He chose Syracuse, where he'll be coached by Adrian Autry.
"I'm really proud of him," La La said on the pod, ahead of the announcement. "I always just told him whatever he decides, I'm going to support 100 percent. As a mom you just want your kid to be happy. So where he decides, whatever he does, as long as he's happy, I'm happy."
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Carmelo won an NCAA title during his lone one-and-done collegiate season under then-Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, before declaring for the stacked 2003 NBA Draft. The Denver Nuggets selected him with the No. 3 overall pick, behind Carmelo's eventual Los Angeles Lakers and Olympic teammate LeBron James, but ahead of fellow future Hall of Famers Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
Across 1,260 career regular season bouts, Carmelo averaged 22.5 points on .447/.355/.814 shooting splits, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists while playing for the Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers. He was a six-time All-NBA honoree and a member of the league's 75th Anniversary Team, celebrating the 75 best players in NBA history.
"Now he's in a situation where s--- is about to get real," Carmelo acknowledged, also prior to Kiyan's announcement. "He got to make a real decision as far as where he wants to go to school, who you want to be associated with for the rest of your life."
The 6-foot-5 prep is listed as a four-star recruit, per 247Sports. He is ranked as the 34th-best prospect in his graduating class, the single-best prospect in New York state, and the sixth-best shooting guard in the nation.
"My sophomore year like I told you, started getting all of these offers, and college coaches recruiting me and stuff like that," Kiyan said. "So it was hard just narrowing down. First I cut it to 10 [teams], and then six, and then three [the third was Auburn], and now two," Kiyan said.
In addition to Auburn, USC and Syracuse, Kiyan was also reportedlty recruited by Indiana, Michigan, Florida State, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Memphis, Tennessee, Arizona State and Bryant University.
"So between USC and Syracuse, I just want to thank both of the coaching [staffs] for recruiting me.... Yeah, but at the end of the day, only one can stay, and with that being said, I'll be coming to Syracuse University."
Co-host The Kid Mero and both Carmelo and La La Anthony erupted into cheers upon hearing the news. Given that the whole family is based out of New York, one can understand their excitement that Kiyan has opted not to head across the country to Los Angeles, although La La noted Syracuse was "like a five-hour drive" from the family's home base.
"Wow, I can breathe now," La La joked. "And I think it's important to say, Kiyan really made this decision. I mean I'm sure everyone just assumes that Mel put the pressure on him... Mel just gave him input on all the schools... and we stepped back and allowed him to make his decision."
"It was almost pressure to say something [to try to convince Kiyan to play at Syracuse]," Carmelo conceded. "For me to have to like, be quiet, knowing what is cooking over here, is tough. I know what's happening at 'Cuse, I'm a part of that."
More news: Carmelo Anthony Reveals Former Team Tried to Recruit Him Back for Final Season
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