“Not Even Close” – Carmelo Anthony Lays Out Bitter Truth for Son Kiyan Despite Dominating Performances

There is a lot of discourse on LeBron James and Bronny James‘ future. And that’s the level of scrutiny any second-generation basketball player faces. Carmelo Anthony also spoke about his son’s recent performance on his podcast. Kiyan Carmelo Anthony has been part of the EYBL this summer and Carmelo said “I’m not done with him yet.”

On the podcast 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & The Kid Mero they answered a fan question. “…What’s been the most enjoyable part about watching Kai step into his own as a player?” The 40-year-old candidly explained his side.

His co-host The Kid Mero shared his excitement for the juniors era and praised Kiyan for lighting up the EYBL. The 4-star recruit has scored 12 points, 24 points, and 28 points respectively in his 3 games. Even LeBron James was in the house when the 17-year-old scored 28 points and 3 rebounds in game 3—stats as per Neil Adler.

Carmelo Anthony explained the process is always fun, and it’s good to see the positive outcome when he knows the amount of hard work put in by his son. He knows Kiyan is prepared for any situation but doesn’t want him to get complacent. “We still not even close to where we like not even close to where we want to be.”

The 10x NBA All-Star was proud as a father and encouraged his son that he would support him every step of the way. The praise and accolades have started, but the criticism began very early in Kiyan’s career.

Carmelo Anthony wants Kiyan to focus on the bigger picture

Being a 19-year veteran, Carmelo Anthony knows it’s a marathon, not a sprint. He suggested there was no rush since Kiyan is learning and developing his skills daily. As per Melo, he is working on the aspects of the game situation to prepare his son with a battle-ready mindset. He also gave an example of how Anthony Edwards is facing Kyrie Irving which could be Kiyan’s next moment.

The proud father also spoke about the negative reactions Kiyan had to face since he was about 8 years old. According to him, people called his son trash and that was killing Kiyan’s confidence. At that point, the youngster was not sure about his hooping future. Melo also joked that his son had a blonde mohawk hairstyle which meant he was just enjoying focus.

Anthony wants the best for his son, but the path has to be decided by Kiyan. Although, he hasn’t given any confirmation to any college for his future, Kiyan stated he intends to visit his dad’s alma mater, Syracuse, once again. But at the same time, he wants to see Indiana and Tennessee as well.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.