Kiyan Anthony has spent his whole basketball career with extra pressure following him around. This is not unexpected when your father is an NBA Hall of Famer; it comes with the territory.
The 18-year-old Anthony scored 25 points to lead his team to a win in the 2025 Jordan Brand Classic on Friday night in Washington, D.C. His efforts earned him the game’s MVP award, and as part of the award, he received a Jumpman letterman’s jacket from his father, Carmelo Anthony.
Fans React to Kiyan Anthony’s MVP win.
Anthony played for Team Air and made 11 of his 15 field goal attempts, including a 3-for-5 performance from behind the arc, as his team defeated Team Flight 141-124 at the CareFirst Arena in D.C.
KIYAN ANTHONY WINS MVP OF THE JORDAN BRAND CLASSIC AFTER DROPPING 25 POINTS 🏆@kiyananthony I @JordanClassic pic.twitter.com/ed74pENYZ8
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 19, 2025
Caleb Wilson, a 6-9 forward who has committed to North Carolina, also played on Team Air. He scored 28 points, leading some fans to question why Anthony was named MVP instead of Wilson.
The Jordan Brand Classic gathered some of the best high school players in the nation, including the No. 1-ranked player in the 2025 class, AJ Dybantsa. Unfortunately, the BYU commit’s 25 points and nine rebounds were insufficient for Team Flight.
The highly rated Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, were also at the game. Cameron scored 10 points while Cayden scored 4 points. The Boozers will play at Duke at their former NBA star father, Carlos Boozer’s, alma mater next year.
Anthony committed to his father’s alma mater, Syracuse, earlier this year. His future Syracuse teammate Sadiq White, a 6-8 forward from Charlotte, N.C., was also at the classic, scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting for Team Flight.
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White is ranked No. 27 in ESPN.com’s final rankings for the Class of ’25, while Anthony is ranked No. 35 and No. 1 in New York. In addition to Anthony and White, Syracuse’s 2025 recruit class includes Luke Fennell, a 6-6 combo guard from Australia, and Aaron Womack, a 6-6 wing from Milwaukee.
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