The name, image, and likeness era is here to stay for good. Whether one avoids it or embraces it, NIL extending to high school athletes has been the natural next step in the process. And the latest to shine is 6x NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony’s son Kiyan Anthony. But if you were to ask the 17-year-old what his priorities in life are right now, he would choose his sport over everything else.

Making headlines recently for committing to his dad’s alma mater, Syracuse, Anthony is in the initial stages of building a legacy of his own. “I’m my own player and I’m trying to do bigger things when it comes to basketball,” as he would tell you. To Jayson Buford of Interview Magazine, who asked him about capitalizing on NIL, the young player answered in the affirmative. But that’s not his ultimate goal.

“There’s a difference between this era of college basketball and your father’s. The NIL has ushered in a new wave of student-athletes. Do you have any plans to capitalize on that?” Buford asked Anthony, whose biggest NIL deal is currently with Nerf. Hasbro, the company that owns Nerf, has a reported market cap of $8.89 Billion.

“Yeah, for sure. Definitely. But that’s not the main goal. The main goal is just to go out there, play basketball, go hoop, and try to win,” Anthony answered. The No. 1 player in New York for the class of 2025 signed a huge deal with WME Sports at the beginning of November, the same company that signed his actress and entrepreneur mom, La La Anthony.

But Kiyan Anthony’s already impressive portfolio also includes deals with PSD Underwear and the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. Per On3, his NIL value is currently at $1.1 million. Given that he’s just 17 right now and just finishing high school, the value is only going to grow.

With impressive performances at the Peach Jam and the SLAM Summer Classic, the 4-star recruit is perfectly poised to join the Syracuse Orange, the same team his dad played on, and bring up their value to what “Syracuse basketball should be,” as he put it.

Kiyan Anthony is ready for Syracuse

The questions about his dad were bound to arise. Going to the same places as one’s famous parents will invite criticism and negative questions but Kiyan Anthony is taking it all in stride. In fact, he appreciates that the school accepted him for his versatility on the court and value as a player rather than because he carried the Anthony name.

Excited to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the young hoops star told Buford about his decision to play college ball with the Orange, “I feel like a part of it was obviously the connection that my dad went there, but mostly just how they could see me fitting in there and recruiting me for myself and not just who he was. He did big things there, but I’m my own player and I’m trying to do bigger things when it comes to basketball.”

It’s just the beginning for Kiyan Anthony, who has already drawn comparisons with Bronny James and the like. It might be women’s college basketball taking center stage right now but this next freshmen class could very well turn the narrative around!