"The concept was different at first": Carmelo Anthony opens up on viral "Mini Melo" commercial featuring son Kiyan Anthony

Former NBA star Carmelo Anthony and his son, Kiyan Anthony, have been making headlines recently, but not for basketball. They, along with three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade, starred in a viral AT&T commercial that had fans laughing.

On the latest episode of his podcast, "7 PM in Brooklyn," Anthony said that the final version of the commercial differed from the original concept.

"The concept was different at first," Anthony said. "You had, like, the Ball family and then you had like the Anthony family, and then we all was there at, like, the unveiling of the statue. And then you pull a statue off, it's LaMelo. That was the first one, but ... something happen, they couldn't do it "

The aired version of the commercial featured Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Kiyan Anthony attending a statue unveiling to honor Carmelo.

In the video, Carmelo anxiously mumbles, "Please be good," while the statue is being unveiled. To his disappointment, the statue was a tiny version of himself on a massive pedestal, looking more like a toy than a statue.

Taken aback, Carmelo reacts in disbelief while Wade enthusiastically claps, screaming, "Mini Melo! A Masterpiece." Carmelo, embarrassed, pleads with him to stop while Kiyan keeps snapping pictures. Meanwhile, the voiceover delivers the ad punchline: "Getting what you deserve isn't always guaranteed."

At&T is a multinational telecommunications company, the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States. According to Kiyan Anthony, the collaboration with the company is a long-term one.

"This wasn't just a one-ad type of thing," Kiyan told On3. "We're definitely going to be talking to AT&T. We have a relationship, and they're somebody we can call."

Kiyan has his NIL valued at $1.1 million, according to On3. Apart from AT&T, he has also collaborated with PSD Underwear and Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, among others.

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"I just want him to have fun": Carmelo Anthony shares his hopes for son Kiyan Anthony's college basketball journey at Syracuse

Former NBA star Carmelo Anthony's son, Kiyan Anthony, is set to begin his college journey next season after signing with Syracuse.

Sharing his thoughts on Kiyan's transition to college basketball, Carmelo expressed his wishes for his son:

"I just want him to go have fun. Go have fun, enjoy the college experience. I want him to enjoy being a college basketball player. That's a different type of experience. Once you experience that, then you feel like, 'OK, OK, I've got that, now it's time for me to move on.' But you can't move on until you actually experience that."

Kiyan will be playing alongside fellow Syracuse signees Sadiq White, Luke Fennel and Aaron Wormack next season.