Carmelo Anthony lost his father to cancer. The NBA legend had an incredible career and retired in 2023, passing the torch to his son, Kiyan. Carmelo continues to support and fuel his son’s spirits, who is following in his footsteps to become a basketball player. However, Melo didn’t get to experience the same love during his own childhood. He was just 2 years old when his father passed away.

All that was left with Melo were memories and his urge to find his true self. He tried to find out more about his father, and in doing so, it helped fill the void in his life.

Anthony finds out about his Puerto Rican roots

During childhood, Carmelo Anthony was always told that he looked like his father. The Denver Nuggets legend recalled whenever he went to Brooklyn, people recognized how his appearance resembled his dad. While he knew he was Puerto Rican, he didn’t know anything more about it. The first time he went to Puerto Rico was during his high school.

As he recalled, Melo, upon arriving in Puerto Rico, was asked to play for the Junior National team. That caused a stir in him to find out more about his roots and his dad, the late Carmelo Iriarte. He was gearing up for his NBA debut and missed his father. In a conversation with close friend Dwyane Wade, Anthony spoke about it.

“I knew my dad was Puerto Rican but I didn’t know how deep it goes. Honestly, that was a moment of like, I have to go figure this out. I gotta start asking questions because now this void of not having a dad is like damn I’m about to make it to the NBA, I wish he was here…you start having all of these moments, I’m doing it for him,” Melo said on The Why podcast.

Carmelo Anthony reveals that his father was a young lord

Anthony began to meet his father’s friends and close relatives. Digging deeper into it, he discovered that his father was a young lord. Who are young lords? As the New York Knicks legend described, they “are basically the Puerto Rican version of Black Panthers.” Melo recalled that he used the internet, pictures, and all sources to find out more about it. As per the sources, the Young Lords were members of the Young Lords Organization (YLO), which was a human rights group based in Chicago in the 1960s.

“As I started to discover, I realized my dad was a Young Lord. Young Lords are basically the Puerto Rican version of Black Panthers. It’s the version of the Black Panther depending on who you actually ask…So I started digging deeper into what is a Young Lord. Oh, he looks fly. So you start going now I can use the internet. Now I start pulling up pictures and researching and like wow that’s where I get it from,” Melo further stated on the podcast.

Anthony got the height genes from his father who was said to be 6’7″. He discussed how the absence of a father affects young men. But the 40-year-old has always had his loving mother by his side.

Anthony and his siblings

The 10x NBA All-Star was born to Mary Anthony. After he turned 8, the family decided to move to Baltimore. His mother worked several jobs to support the family. Melo was the youngest in the family with four siblings named Michelle, Wilford, Daphne, and Robert Anthony. Unfortunately, Michelle, who was 12 years older than Anthony, passed away in 2010.

While Carmelo Anthony did not experience his father’s presence, he discovered a new meaning to his life when he found out about his father’s identity. Now, for his son, Anthony wishes to be present and be supportive by guiding him through his career.

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