Kiyan Anthony was a guest on Angel Reese's podcast. Towards the end of the episode, Reese asked Anthony for his Mount Rushmore of NBA players. Surprisingly, Anthony said he wouldn't put Paul George up there, despite him being his favorite player. He then mentioned Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and his father, Carmelo Anthony as his four greatest players of all time.
"Realistically? I'm not going to say my favorite player, Paul George... I'm going to say [Michael] Jordan, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], and I gotta put my pops [Carmelo Anthony] in there. Obviously, that's my pops, but I really watched him every day and he did what he did."
Kiyan's list, while shocking in that he didn't include Paul George, especially considering he had called him the GOAT in the past, is a pretty solid list.
Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant are three players that are frequently mentioned in the GOAT debate. And while his choice to pick Carmelo Anthony might be biased, we can forgive that considering that is his father.
Kiyan is also obviously very close to LeBron James, as LeBron and his father are very good friends, and came into the NBA at the same time, as part of the legendary 2003 NBA Draft class. But despite the bias, James is considered across the board as one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest of all time.
Perhaps Anthony's list will change as time goes on, and he gets to enter the NBA, something he is aspiring to do as well. But for now, the list he shared with fans is a really solid one and can be respected.
Kiyan Anthony Gets Real On Bronny James' NBA Career
In the same interview, Reese also asked Anthony about his relationship with Bronny James, and whether he had spoken to him since he entered the NBA. Anthony noted that he congratulated Bronny when he got drafted, and discusses games with him occasionally. He added that he is happy for Bronny, and hopes he does well in the league.
"We talk, but we haven't really talked [since] he's in the league. But when he got drafted, I said congratulations, go out there and kill it. We talk in-depth about how the game is going. Yeah, if I had the chance, I asked him [Carmelo to come out of retirement]. Father-son in the NBA? That's crazy... Bronny trying to make his way, that's fire."
Bronny and Kiyan are close friends because they spent a lot of time together whenever LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony would meet each other. The pair were known to take their families on vacation together, and one can imagine that the sons of the NBA legends became close during that time.
It will be an amazing sight to see Bronny James and Kiyan Anthony face off eventually in the NBA. While there is no guarantee that will happen, the chances of it are quite high, and it will be an exciting prospect to see the second-generation stars play against each other.
