Carmelo Anthony shares why he got emotional as his son Kiyan commits to Syracuse: 'I might shed a tear'

Carmelo Anthony couldn't hold back his pride as his son Kiyan Anthony chose Syracuse, ready to create his own legacy at his father's alma mater.

It was an emotional unveiling when Kiyan Anthony finally committed to his father's alma mater, Syracuse. The fans and the whole Orange community are excited to welcome the legend's son back to where he belongs, but it seems like it means the most to his father, Carmelo Anthony.

In a family's private party, Kiyan was joined by his parents, Syracuse and NBA basketball legend Carmelo Anthony, and television celebrity La La Anthony, in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday, November 15. His mother, La La, was first to say how proud she and Melo are of their son, who is "incredible in basketball", but they are even more proud of "who he is as a person, who he is as a young man, how he treats people, who he's become to be".

Carmelo Anthony's heartfelt words for his son's decision

Then, it was Carmelo Anthony's turn to say something about his son's decision, and in that moment, seeing him try to control his emotions just showed how proud he is of Kiyan and how happy he is that his son decided to join Syracuse, whose last and only title was in 2003, and it was Carmelo who led the team to the championship.

"As a father, this is a special moment, and I might shed a tear, but this is a special moment because it was so hard not to say nothing," Carmelo joked while trying to hold back his tears. "You got a chance to put the school and the community in New York back to where it's supposed to be. You're the only one that can do it. You did it the right way. You went through the struggle. You went through every level of development as a player, as a young man."

Kiyan Anthony: Syracuse's next pure scorer in the making

Carmelo also insists on Kiyan being himself and making a name for himself. He had a few words to say to him about following the blueprint, but in conclusion, he just wanted him to succeed no matter how and to bring Syracuse back to where it was when Carmelo was there.

The 6'5" shooting guard is one of the best pure scorers in the country. He was ranked No. 36 in the ESPN 100 and averaged 19.6 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit in the spring while scoring 25 or more in four of 15 games. Anthony played even better during the summer at the Nike Peach Jam, averaging 21.8 points per game while shooting 37.3% from deep across eight games, including one where he went off for a 40-point performance against the Mac Irvin Fire.