The Syracuse freshman opens up to Boardroom on campus fame, NIL life, college hoops physicality, and carrying the Anthony legacy in the modern era.
When your father is the university’s greatest athlete since Jim Brown, and the practice facility was donated by him and bears his name, it’s next to impossible to walk around campus unnoticed. It’s become a recurring issue for Kiyan Anthony, the Syracuse University freshman starring for the Orange basketball team more than 20 years after Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to their first and only hoops national championship.
“Every class, every time I walk on campus, it just gets crazy,” Anthony told Boardroom in conjunction with Celsius, the energy company that announced an NIL deal with the 18-year-old guard on Thursday. “Every day, all day. Since Day 1, I’m just walking around on campus, trying to be a normal person with my teammates, and we all get bum-rushed. So we’re kind of used to it now.”
When school is in session, Anthony attends two to three classes per day before practice at 2:45 p.m. While he hasn’t been partial to science classes, Kiyan enjoyed a course called interpersonal competence that explored different life forms and environments.
“It’s really a jam-packed day,” Anthony said. “I’m in and out of the house every day, so I try to grab a Celsius when I can before a lift or a practice or when I leave the house in the morning. I was drinking it even before I got paid. So to now have an actual connection and a brand deal with them, it’s definitely great because I could also promote the drink and work together.”
Every year growing up, Kiyan traveled from his home in Brooklyn up to Syracuse to watch basketball and football games and chat with players and coaches. But even with numerous visits under his belt over the years, it proved impossible to prepare for the cold and lake effect snow that engulfs Upstate New York during the winter. Last week, roughly three feet of snow fell on campus, leaving Anthony to trudge around campus in his boots since they typically don’t cancel classes for snow at SU.
After starring in high school at Long Island Lutheran and ranking 36th in the country in ESPN’s 2025 recruiting rankings, the 6-foot-5 Anthony said it took him time to adjust to the strength of playing against college players in the revenue-sharing and NIL era.
“You’re going against 24-, 25-year-olds every day that have been in college for four, five, six years,” Anthony said, “so you just trying to match their physicality. But other than that, I feel like I transitioned pretty smoothly and just got my body right throughout.”
In non-conference play, Anthony faced off against elite Big 12 schools Kansas, Iowa State, and Houston at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, taking the Cougars, last year’s NCAA finalists, to overtime. It was there that Kiyan experienced the difference between mid-major and high-major talent, and Syracuse definitely grew from that experience. The Orange then beat Tennessee at home in the ACC/SEC Challenge and are currently 3-1 in ACC play.
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Because of his last name, opponents definitely go at him harder than normal, Anthony said. People started talking smack to him in high school, “trying to add a little extra pop to it,” in Kiyan’s words.
“But I love that type of stuff,” he continued. “When people try to go at me, I get to come right back down and do the same thing. There’s definitely a target on my back and people coming at me every day, but I look at everything as a positive.”
Kiyan also has a strong support system and a number of positive outlets outside the daily rigors of basketball. He plays Call of Duty at home with his friends, as a lot of college kids do, but also owns his own streetwear brand, One Way Clothing. Kiyan said he’s always been into fashion and likes getting dressed up. In building his brand, Anthony’s taking business calls in his free time, drawing inspiration from his parents, brands like Supreme, and people whose work ethic he admires. While he’s trying to help his brand grow each day, Kiyan is excited to take One Way Clothing to the next level in the offseason while he prioritizes basketball.
On the court, Anthony said he’s acclimated to the rigors of college basketball and is growing more comfortable. He wants to help Syracuse reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years, the longest stretch without March Madness basketball since before Jim Boeheim began coaching the team more than 50 years ago.
As long as his last name is still Anthony, helping the Orange reach new hoops heights will always be in his blood.
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