La La Anthony reacted to son Kiyan’s ultimate tribute to Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame induction [Picture Credit: Getty]

NBA legend Carmelo Anthony will officially be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. Ahead of the prestigious ceremony in Connecticut, the former New York Knicks star’s son, Kiyan Anthony, sent an emotional message to him in a tribute video.

The Player’s Tribune posted a video in tribute to the former NBA player, which started with a highlight of Melo from Syracuse. During his one year with Syracuse, Carmelo Anthony led his team to the university’s lone NCAA title. Fast forward to 2025, Kiyan followed his father’s footsteps and committed to the Orange.

Kiyan congratulated and credited Anthony for his hard work off the court and for supporting him.

“Yo pops, it’s Kiy. You’ve been a Hall of Famer to me my whole life,” Kiyan said. “All of that hard work, every day, you grinding, nobody seeing you work as hard as you do. Everybody taken you for granted. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I’ve seen everything and I appreciate you for paving the way for me, taking on their next legacy. I know I’m in good hands because you gonna be right by my side.

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“I just want to tell you how proud I am. Seeing you getting inducted into the Hall of Fame means everything to me. I appreciate you for everything. So keep going and getting better. Love you Pops.”

Following Kiyan’s tribute to his father, Carmelo Anthony’s former wife, and Kiyan’s mother, La La Anthony, got emotional. She reacted to the video in the comment section with a series of face-holding-back-tears emojis.

La La’s comment

Carmelo Anthony chooses two NBA legends to present him at the HoF induction

Carmelo Anthony lived in one of the greatest eras of basketball and quickly rose to the top as one of the best offensive players in the league. Although the former NBA player never won a title, Melo’s impact on the game was immense.

Melo is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday and chose two legends to present him at the ceremony. One of them is one of his best friends and Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, and the other is the Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson.

Anthony had previously said on Paul George’s podcast that he wanted Michael Jordan, Iverson and Wade, all three legends, to represent him at the prestigious ceremony.

“I was inspire by MJ,” Melo said. “Then you have AI, who impacted my whole professional career. We all know the impact that Iverson had on us. We can relate to that and still going out there and doing what you gotta do.” product of environments. Then you also got my brother D Wade…you better be right here.”

Carmelo Anthony and the finalists of the 2025 HoF induction will be honored at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 6. The two-day event will start on Friday. Dwight Howard is the only other name from the NBA to be on the list.