Before becoming a 10-time NBA All-Star and being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, Carmelo Anthony had one of the greatest freshman seasons in college basketball history.
In his one year at Syracuse, Anthony was a consensus All-American and was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player en route to leading the Orange to their lone national championship in 2003.
Twenty-one years later, Anthony's son, Kiyan Anthony, the No. 36 recruit in the ESPN 100 and the class of 2025's top-ranked player in the state of New York, announced he is following in his father's footsteps and committing to Syracuse. The younger Anthony, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Long Island Lutheran, chose the Orange over offers from USC and Auburn, among others.
While Kiyan looks to carve out his own legacy at Syracuse, he will do it in the shadow of his father's jersey. Carmelo's No. 15 is retired by the Orange and hangs from the rafters inside the basketball arena.
In honor of the Anthonys, here's a look at a selection of father-son duos in college basketball history:
Steve Alford and Bryce Alford
Born and raised in Indiana, Steve Alford was a two-time consensus first-team All-American for the Indiana Hoosiers. He led them to the national championship in 1987, averaging 22.0 points on 53% shooting (107-for-202) from 3-point range. As a coach, Alford took over the UCLA program in 2013. His son, Bryce Alford, played all four years for him, averaging more than 16 points as a junior. The younger Alford shot 39.7% from beyond the arc and 82.5% from the free throw line for his career. Coincidentally, both Alfords averaged 5.9 attempts from 3-point range during their college careers. The father-son duo led the Bruins to three Sweet 16 appearances together.
Dick Bennett and Tony Bennett
Dick Bennett compiled a 316-227 record as a Division I coach from 1985-2000 and 2003-2006. Bennett led Green Bay to three NCAA tournament appearances before moving on to Wisconsin, where he led the Badgers to the Final Four in 2000. Bennett then took over the Washington State program, serving as coach of the Cougars until he retired in 2006. His son, Tony Bennett, who played for his dad at Green Bay, took over the reins and led Washington State to the Sweet 16 in 2008. The younger Bennett then became the coach at Virginia, guiding the Cavaliers to their first national championship in program history in 2019.
Henry Bibby and Mike Bibby
Henry Bibby won three national championships while playing at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. As a 6-1 senior guard, Bibby was a consensus first-team All-American and helped lead the Bruins to a 30-0 record during the 1971-72 campaign, playing alongside National Player of the Year Bill Walton. Bibby's son, Mike Bibby, attended one of UCLA's rivals, Arizona, and led the Wildcats to their first national championship in 1997 under coach Lute Olson. The younger Bibby was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1997, before becoming a consensus first-team All-American and the Pac-10 Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Dell Curry and Stephen Curry
Dell Curry was a four-year starter at Virginia Tech, where he averaged 24.1 points as a senior and earned Metro Conference Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors in 1986. Curry finished his Hokies career with 2,389 points and a school-record 295 steals. Dell's eldest son, Stephen Curry, took the college basketball world by storm when he led Davidson to the Elite Eight in 2008. Steph was a consensus All-American in 2008 and 2009 and led the nation in scoring during his final season with the Wildcats, averaging 28.6 points per game. Both Dell and Steph had their No. 30 jerseys retired by their respective alma maters. Dell's other son and Steph's younger brother, Seth Curry, had a standout collegiate career of his own, scoring 2,101 total points for Liberty and Duke.
Tim Hardaway and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tim Hardaway was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1989 after a standout senior campaign at UTEP. His No. 10 jersey was retired by the school after he scored 1,586 points over four seasons for the Miners. Twenty-five years after he enrolled at UTEP, his son, Tim Hardaway Jr., began his college career at Michigan. The younger Hardaway started all 107 games of his career, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2011, a third-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore and a first-team all-conference selection as a junior.
Marques Johnson and Kris Johnson
The father-son duo of Marques Johnson and Kris Johnson did what the Anthonys hope to accomplish -- win a national championship at the same school. As a sophomore, Marques helped UCLA win its last national title under Wooden in 1975, averaging 11.6 points. As a senior, Marques was both the Pac-8 Player of the Year and National Player of the Year. His son, Kris Johnson, was part of UCLA's most recent national championship team as a freshman in 1995. Kris averaged a career-high 18.4 points during his senior season.
Scott May and Sean May
Scott May was the consensus National Player of the Year for the national championship-winning 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers squad that finished 32-0. Scott's son, Sean May, averaged a team-high 17.5 points for North Carolina and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player during the Tar Heels' march to the national title during the 2004-05 season. The father-son duo combined for 2,806 points and 1,365 rebounds in six college seasons.
Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino
Rick Pitino coached Kentucky to the national championship in 1996 and guided the Wildcats' in-state rival Louisville to the national title in 2013. (The second championship was later vacated.) Pitino also led Providence to the Final Four in 1987. Pitino has taken five schools to the NCAA tournament in his five decades on the bench, including Boston University in 1983 and Iona in 2021 and 2023. Pitino's son, Richard, is the coach at New Mexico after an eight-year stint at Minnesota. The younger Pitino, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2017, led both programs to the NCAA Tournament.
Eddie Sutton and Scott Sutton
Eddie Sutton won 806 games during a career that spanned nearly four decades on the bench. Sutton took Arkansas to the Final Four in 1978, He then led Oklahoma State to the Final Four in 1995 and 2004. Sutton's son, Scott, spent 18 years as the coach at Oral Roberts, leading the Golden Eagles to the NCAA tournament three years in a row from 2006 to 2008.
John Thompson Jr. and John Thompson III
Like Dick and Tony Bennett, John Thompson Jr. and son John Thompson III are among the elite father-son coaching duos where both coaches reached the Final Four. John Thompson Jr. led Georgetown to the national championship game three times in a four-year span (1982, 1984 and 1985) with Patrick Ewing as the team's centerpiece. The Hoyas won it all in 1984. Big John's son led the Hoyas back to the Final Four in 2007 with Patrick Ewing Jr. as one of the team's key contributors. The Thompsons won a combined 942 games in their coaching careers, which included a total of 40 years at Georgetown.
Mychal Thompson and Klay Thompson
Mychal Thompson finished eight points shy of 2,000 for his career at Minnesota. Thompson averaged career highs in points (25.9) and rebounds (12.5) as a sophomore. Thompson was a consensus All-American as a junior and as a senior. His No. 43 jersey is retired at Minnesota. Mychal's son, Klay Thompson, played at Washington State, where he started every game as a freshman under coach Tony Bennett. Thompson was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a sophomore and junior. Klay set the program's single-season scoring record in 2010-11 (733 points) and like his dad, has his jersey retired at his alma mater. Klay's No. 1 hangs from the rafters at Washington State's Beasley Coliseum.
Bill Walton and Luke Walton
Bill Walton put together one of the greatest careers in college basketball history, earning National Player of the Year three times and being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player twice as a member of UCLA's 1972 and 1973 national championship teams. Walton averaged 20.3 points and 15.7 rebounds over his three-year college career. Walton's son, Luke Walton, stayed in the Pac-8/Pac-10 and played at Arizona, where he averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists as a junior and was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection.
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