Kiyan Anthony, 17, is all grown up and headed towards a bright future. The high school senior is also doing more interviews nowadays. He recently sat down with WNBA player Angel Reese to discuss growing up in a famous household and his aspirations as a basketball player.
Kiyan is the son of actress LaLa Anthony and Los Angeles Lakers player Carmelo Anthony, meaning fame is the only life he’s known.
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“At tournaments, I can’t walk outside; I can’t even walk through the gym with a bunch of people because it gets crazy,” he said to Resse. Brooklyn is one safe haven for Kiyan–he’s able to spend time with his friends there. “In New York, if you’re from the area, you’re going to be cool with everybody,” he explained.
Regarding his NBA aspirations, Kiyan hopes to be like his dad in many ways but highlights his desire to adopt his dad’s mindset.
“He’s a killer for sure, a bully a little bit—and he’s a leader,” he said of the NBA player.
“I would take his mentality. Even when he’s missing shots or when the game isn’t going his way, he’s still going to find a way to get it. I feel like I have a good mentality, like to go out there and kill, but he’s next level. He has a professional type of mindset.”
The 17-year-old basketball player also discussed whether he wants to follow in his mother’s footsteps as an actor. Kiyan said he “can’t act” and wouldn’t pursue that career path. Although Kiyan isn’t interested in following his mom’s career path, he does have a close relationship with LaLa. He recently got a tattoo of the Power actress on his forearm that reads, “You continuously put me before yourself.”
“The concept was like giving thanks to my mom. The tattoo artist found a picture, and then I wrote the quote,” Kiyan explained to Reese.
Kiyan also spoke about how he wants to be known and the legacy he hopes to leave in the future.
“Off the court, I’m laid-back and cool. I don’t want to be nobody’s way. I want to be known on the court for getting buckets, winning, and helping my teammates. I don’t want people to have anything bad to say about me unless they’re just hating. So close to me, I want everybody around to say, “Nah, K is cool. K always looks out.”
Kiyan should be headed to college next fall and is a couple of weeks away from choosing an institution. During the summer, Kiyan had six colleges to choose from but has managed to cut the list to three: Auburn, USC, and Syracuse. During the interview, he explained his decision based on his vibe with the coach and which school would likely push him closest to his dream of becoming an NBA player.
“Um, just like what coaches have been on me the latest and where I could go in right away and, you know, see growth and where I could develop my game and just try to win. Like whatever the coaches tell me, like they can see me playing, where my role is, all of that goes into, like, you know, where I choose. So I still got a couple weeks to decide, but it’s getting close.”
