The 17-year-old will follow his father’s footsteps by heading to New York.

Kiyan Anthony will head to New York to play college basketball at Syracuse, following in the footsteps of his 11-time NBA All-Star father. But what are his reasons and how is Angel Reese involved?

The 17-year-old has been linked with Syracuse for some time and finally confirmed his decision to link up with the Orange from 2025, after turning down offers from the USC Trojans and the Auburn Tigers.

And whilst his dad, Carmelo, was no doubt part of why he also chose to join them, it’s a natural fit for his position on the East Coast where he lives.

The youngster is currently situated 280 miles away from the college and that means it gives him the chance to stay close to his mother, La La.

That’s compared to roughly the 2,828 miles it would take to traverse from New York to the West Coast, which consists of a 5.5 hour flight for a typical commercial aeroplane as well as the more unsociable hours due to time zone differences.

“He’s my best friend. He’s my everything,” La La said of Kiyan, highlighting their connection. “We hang out all the time.

“I love being with him. He is just a genuine person who always likes looking out for other people.”

How is Angel Reese involved?

Additionally, he got some support from those who have been there and done it all before such as the WNBA icon, Reese, who plays for the Chicago Sky and graduated from the LSU Tigers’ program in Louisiana.

And despite only being 22 years old herself, she has a lot of advice she can pass on to the 17-year-old about selecting his future and that’s what she did as she warned him to be careful about hooking up with women.

“Even in college,” Reese told Kiyan on her Unapologetically Angel podcast. “You need to be careful with these women.

“One slip-up… you’ve seen the stories? Make guests leave their phones at the door”