Kiyan Anthony opened up about his bond with Bryce James, praising his skills and dismissing any rivalry.

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Kiyan Anthony, son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, opened up about his close relationship with Bryce James, the younger son of LeBron James, during an interview. He spoke highly of Bryce’s skills on the court, noting his sharpshooting ability and impressive athleticism.

“He’s a sharpshooter, he can really shoot. When he get hot, he really don’t miss. He’s bouncy. He’s more bouncy than me, I ain’t even gonna lie. I’m not even gonna say he look like his pops, but it kind of do look like his pops when he dunk a little bit. We basically grew up together even though he lived in LA.”

“But I feel like family, that’s like my cousin. My pops and his pops played together on the Lakers. It was a little different situation because they wasn’t rivals, they was really best friends, but the media always gonna make it seem like they got something against each other.”

“It’s not similar with me and Bryce, but everybody just want one of us to be like, oh, we better, oh, I’m way better than him. Like we would never say that about each other. We just go out there and compete, and then the pins obviously gonna start flowing in.”

Despite living in different cities, with Bryce in Los Angeles and Kiyan on the East Coast, the two have grown up together due to the close friendship between their fathers. He also addressed the public’s tendency to pit them against each other, much like the media did with their fathers. He emphasized that there is no rivalry between him and Bryce, only mutual respect and a shared passion for the game.

In May, Kiyan and Bryce faced off in an exciting EYBL matchup, with their famous fathers, LeBron and Carmelo, watching from the sidelines. Kiyan’s team, Team Melo, lost to Bryce’s Strive for Greatness team 71-65. Kiyan had an impressive game, finishing with 18 points and four assists, though he shot just 6/19 from the field. Bryce, on the other hand, contributed 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block while shooting 3/8 from the floor.

Though the game highlighted their individual talents, Kiyan and Bryce remain focused on their bond and mutual support rather than on comparisons. As the next generation of basketball talent, both are well aware of the expectations, but they maintain a genuine friendship and understanding.