Kiyan, 17, confirmed his decision to commit to Syracuse on the Friday, November 15, episode of his dad's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast. "It was hard narrowing down," the young athlete said.
Kiyan, a top-40 men's basketball recruit, shared that he had narrowed his top school choices down to Syracuse, Auburn and USC, before deciding on his dad's alma mater. Carmelo, 40, played basketball for Syracuse from 2002 to 2003, and helped to secure the New York college's only NCAA Championship win as a freshman.
"I'm overwhelmed, but I'm happy 'cause he's happy," Kiyan's mom, La La Anthony, said on the podcast about her son's decision. (Kiyan is the only child of La La, 42, and ex husband Carmelo. Us Weekly confirmed their split in June 2021 after 16 years of marriage.)
"I think it's an incredible decision," she continued. "They're an incredible school and they really worked hard in recruiting and just making him feel like a priority. They were great, and I mean, it's big shoes to fill. But at the same time, this is his moment and his lane and it's time for him to create his own."
Carmelo, for his part, was excited Kiyan had reached a decision after some "flip-flopping." The former NBA star said, "I'm glad that he decided to make this decision."
La La added, "And I think it's important to say like, Kiyan really made this decision," noting that Carmelo "just gave him input on all the schools" but did not pressure Kiyan to choose Syracuse.
Kiyan told ESPN on Friday that his dad's connection to the school helped in his recruitment, but noted, "Ultimately, it came down to my relationship with the staff." He has also developed a strong relationship with coach Adrian Autry.
"From day one, when they started recruiting me, they made me feel like it was family," Kiyan told ESPN. "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."
Kiyan continued, "I'm going to do everything Coach Autry needs me to do. 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."