Kiyan Anthony may have only just begun his college career, but he has already started to emerge as a superstar. Following in the footsteps of his father, NBA icon Carmelo Anthony by attending Syracuse University, the 18-year-old has also shown that he has the talent to also reach the NBA. Kiyan Anthony has followed in the footsteps of his NBA legend father Carmelo Anthony playing for SyracuseGettyAnthony enjoyed a 19-year NBA career with six different teamsGettyOne of a handful of young college stars with aspirations to follow their fathers into the NBA, Anthony opted to suit up in ‘Cuse orange, despite offers from other major NCAA men’s basketball programs including Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State and USC.Albeit only a small sample size, in his first four college outings in the ACC, the 6-foot-5 small forward has averaged 14.8 points shooting at a 54.8 percent clip and 38.5 percent from behind the three-point line, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.8 minutes per game.Syracuse have gone 4-0 to start the season, and have outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points per contest. Anthony’s scouting report highlights him as a scoring guard/wing who can efficiently space the floor and stroke the three-ball, especially in catch-and-shoot, but he is not deemed yet to be NBA-ready. Carmelo also spent his Freshman season at Syracuse in 2002-03, where he spearheaded the team to their first – and so far, only – National Championship.During their cinderella run to the title, Anthony averaged 24.4 points from 45.3 percent shooting, 11.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per 40 minutes. The 6-foot-7 small forward was part of the prolific 2003 NBA draft class in which he was taken by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall pick, behind only one of the greatest basketball stars of all time in LeBron James, and 2004 NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons, Darko Miličić.Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) rounded out the top five picks of what is considered one of the best draft classes of all time. Anthony spent the first seven-and-a-half years of his NBA career with the Nuggets before a shock mid-season trade to the New York Knicks, where he shone under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and built up his legacy as a true league icon.After six straight All-Star nods in New York, bringing his total tally to 10, and averaging 24.7 points from 44.3 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steal as a Knick, Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kiyan Anthony has got off to a hot start in his Freshman season at SyracuseGettyCarmelo Anthony played both against, and alongside, some of the greatest NBA players in historyGettyFrom that point onward, he became a bit of a journeyman, having brief spells with the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers before calling time on his career in 2022, aged 37, after 19 years of service. His stellar career which saw him receive six All-NBA selections and a scoring champion, saw him named by talkSPORT as one of the best players in NBA history to never win a championship. Anthony is one of the greatest players to ever suit up for Team USAAnthony did, however, win three Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal with Team USA, alongside the likes of NBA legends James, Wade and the late Kobe Bryant, among many others, in which he claimed he would rather have above an NBA title.“When we talk about global sport, for me, a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship,” he told BasketNews in 2024.“They both have their own separate meanings, but winning a gold medal… It’s the passion, it’s the pride that you have, not just for a city or a state, but for a whole nation; a whole country you’re winning for.”At the time of his retirement from Team USA, Anthony was the team’s all-time leader in games played (31), points scored (336), field goals made (113), rebounds (125), free throws made (53) and second in three-point field goals made (57). Anthony formed a formidable partnership with LA Lakers legend, the late Kobe Bryant on his way to claiming three Olympic gold medalsGetty(From L-R) Anthony, James and Bryant were all inducted into the 2025 HOF as part of the 2008 Redeem TeamAFPAnthony’s star power was formally acknowledged when he was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025, whilst he was also inducted a second time as part of the 2008 Redeem Team.Now Anthony’s attention is on his various business ventures, whilst also supporting son Kiyan, who has aspirations of reaching the pinnacle of basketball himself and becoming the latest father-son duo in the NBA. Should the 18-year-old be able to develop into an elite NBA prospect during his time in the ACC, then he would join close family-friend Bronny James in successfully following in his father’s footsteps, but there is a long way to go yet before that could become a real possibility. 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