"My heart": Carmelo Anthony's ex La La shares Kiyan Anthony's heartfelt speech as he made his college announcement

Kiyan Anthony announced Friday that he will join the Syracuse Orange in his father's podcast, "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony." He later celebrated with family and friends, delivering a heartfelt speech that his mother, La La Anthony, shared on Instagram.

"My heart aka KIYAN CARMELO ANTHONY," La La captioned the post.

Kiyan thanked everyone who supported him, from his grandparents to his mom, La La, and dad Carmelo. He then talked about the decision itself.

"It was hard to make this decision, all these colleges and offers, you know, so it's hard, had to cut down," he said.

He also thanked the coaches who offered him scholarships before ultimately reaffirming that he would attend Syracuse University. Carmelo Anthony then handed his son a Syracuse cap to the crowd's cheers.

Anthony chose Syracuse over USC, keeping him near his father in New York. He will continue his father's legacy, as Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to an NCAA title in 2003. The NBA legend even has a gym named after him at the school.

Carmelo and La La did not want Kiyan Anthony to play football

In the podcast where Kiyan Anthony announced his decision to go to Syracuse, it was also revealed that La La and Carmelo did not pressure him to pursue basketball. They allowed him to play any sport except football.

Co-host Kid Mero brought out the topic of Kiyan playing other sports, and this was when Carmelo said he did not want his son to play football, with his ex agreeing with him.

"One rule: no football," he said. (17:19)

"I didn't want football," La La said. "I mean if he would have begged, okay. But I didn't want football."

The younger Anthony initially played baseball when he was younger and was also interested in other sports, including football. However, as he became better at basketball, he eventually left baseball behind.

Kiyan Anthony plays for the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders in New York. On3 ranks him No. 35 overall in the Class of 2025, No. 9 among shooting guards, and No. 1 in New York.