Carmelo Anthony juggles many titles: ten-time NBA All-Star, podcast host, Basketball Hall of Famer, and, most importantly, father. Last weekend, during his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Anthony’s two kids, Kiyan Anthony and Genesis Anthony, made a rare public appearance together.
Anthony shares his son, Kiyan Carmelo Anthony, with television personality La La Anthony. Born in March 2007, Kiyan is a four-star basketball recruit following in his father’s footsteps as he gears up to play his first season with Syracuse University, Anthony’s alma mater. Standing over 6 feet tall and playing guard, he has been spotlighted as one of his class’s most promising young players. Despite the attention, Kiyan often credits his father’s advice for keeping him grounded.
“I learned that you gotta adjust. You gotta adjust on the fly. You was in every situation possible throughout your career. You know, every role, every situation, different teams, different coaches,” Kiyan said in the interview with his father for Slam magazine.
In 2017, Anthony had his second child—daughter Genesis Harlo Anthony—with his former girlfriend Mia Burks. At the time, he was still married to La La Anthony, who ultimately filed for divorce in 2021. Unlike his son Kiyan, who has grown up in the public eye, especially in his teen years, his 8-year-old daughter’s life has been relatively private, with the Hall of Fame ceremony marking her first major appearance with the basketball star.
Through the years Anthony has shared subtle glimpses of his daughter, like including a photo of her in his retirement announcement video in 2023. Regardless of whether they are posing on magazine covers together or bonding in the privacy of their homes, the NBA champion is not shy about expressing the impact fatherhood has had on his life.
“Your father isn’t perfect, but he is proof that struggle doesn’t mean surrender; proof that the road can be rough and still lead to glory,” he said, speaking directly to his children in his speech.
“Raising children in this world is revolutionary,” he continued. “I didn’t just want to be a basketball player; I wanted to be a model of redemption, of accountability, of love. My kids saved me. They gave me a reason to move past ego, past noise, past criticism. They remind me that legacy isn’t what you leave behind, it’s what you lift up.”
