Carmelo Anthony officially joined basketball’s most exclusive club on Saturday, September 6, stepping onto the stage at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, as one of the newest members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
But the 10-time NBA All-Star made it clear that his proudest accomplishment isn’t found in the record books. It’s his children.
During his induction speech, Anthony turned his focus to his son, 19-year-old Kiyan Anthony, and his daughter, seven-year-old Genesis Anthony, who were both in attendance.
“Your father isn’t perfect, but he is proof that struggle doesn’t mean surrender,” Anthony told them. “Proof that the road can be rough and still lead to glory.”
Anthony has long been public about his close bond with Kiyan, who will begin his freshman year this fall at Syracuse University—the same program his father led to a national championship in 2003.
But Genesis’ presence at the ceremony was notable. Anthony welcomed her in 2017, while still married to La La Anthony, and only acknowledged her publicly in recent years. He shared a photo of her during his 2023 retirement announcement and later celebrated her Knicks-themed birthday party in 2024.
“Raising children in this world is revolutionary,” Anthony said, his voice breaking. “My kids saved me. They gave me a reason to move past ego, past noise, past criticism. They remind me that legacy isn’t what you leave behind, but what you lift up.”
Anthony also reflected on his late father, Carmelo Iriarte, a poet and activist with Puerto Rican roots who passed away when Anthony was a toddler. “You left this world too soon, but you never left me,” he said, dedicating his Hall of Fame jacket to his father’s memory.
For a player who scored more than 28,000 career points, earned four Olympic medals, and left an indelible mark on New York basketball, the moment was less about personal accolades and more about family. As Anthony summed it up on stage: “My children are my legacy.”