Carmelo Anthony not happy his son, Kiyan Anthony, did not make the McDonald's All-American game
Carmelo Anthony watching Long Island Lutheran and his son, Kiyan Anthony, play on Jan 13, 2024. Credit: Hans Pennink
The McDonald’s All-American Game will take centerstage in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, but no Long Island boys basketball players were selected this year.
Perhaps the biggest name missing is Long Island Lutheran senior guard Kiyan Anthony, son of former Knicks star and NBA great Carmelo Anthony, who was a McDonald's All American in 2002.
Kiyan Anthony, a Syracuse signee, is the No. 1 player in New York and No. 34 recruit in the Class of 2025 according to the 247Sports Composite ratings, which factors in multiple outlets. The 6-5 Anthony is ranked No. 32 in the ESPN Top 100 for the Class of 2025, No. 36 by 247 Sports and No. 48 by Rivals.
His dad addressed the exclusion on a March 13 episode of his podcast, “7PM in Brooklyn.”
"I think he deserved to make it," Anthony said. "I think he really put the work in and really deserved to be a McDonald's All-American. Because of his journey and because of his trajectory and how his development went – a kid who played freshman basketball his freshman year to becoming the No. 1 player in the state of New York. That should mean something itself.”
Anthony is averaging 15.5 points in 19 games for LuHi (24-6), ranked third nationally in the SCNext Top 25. He missed 11 games after suffering a groin contusion in the season opener. The Crusaders are 18-1 with Anthony in the lineup, the only loss to Link Academy (Missouri) in the EYBL Scholastic Conference Tournament championship game on March 8.
“They’re the No. 3 team in the country,” Carmelo said of LuHi. “Like, what are we sitting here talking about? How? That's my perspective on it. I think he got [expletive]. I think he deserved it. I think it's a couple other kids who actually deserved it as well. No knock to the kids that's there, but what's the criteria now? You're winning against these guys – what does it mean? And this is the first time in a long time that the number one player in the state of New York, a top-30 kid, didn't make the McDonald's All-American game.”
Anthony and fellow LuHi seniors Nigel James, Kayden Mingo and Nico Onyekwere were among the initial nominees to play in the McDonald’s Game. Anthony is in his second season at LuHi after transferring from Christ the King.
Anthony helped lead LuHi to The Throne National Championship in East Rutherford, New Jersey, over the weekend, earning Finals MVP honors after scoring 25 points in a title game win over Allen High School (Texas) on Saturday. The Crusaders, who have won 21 of their last 22, will finish their season this week at the Chipotle Nationals, the premier high school national championship, in Indiana.
“It ain’t about the [McDonald's All-American] game,” Carmelo said. “Yeah, he missed the game. But it's like the lesson in that – don't stop working. Just because you don't get what you want, don't stop working.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.