It’s no secret Carmelo Anthony has no interest in coaching at the highest level. But when it comes to his son, Kiyan, that’s a whole different story. Melo might not be drawing up plays on an NBA sideline, but he’s definitely courtside when it matters.

“Their shot is really similar, and their footwork is similar too. Also, personality-wise, they’re very similar. Both are extremely humble guys. You can tell Melo has worked with him from the beginning. What a teacher!” said Steve Smith, Melo’s old Oak Hill coach. And a recent viral video showed just how true that is—Coach Melo and Dad Melo were both back in action.

So, what went down? Kiyan’s Long Island squad was battling Acaden Lewis’ Sidwell Friends during a Nike EYBL matchup. Tensions flared, and things got chippy between the two teams. That’s when Melo stepped in. Not just as a dad, but as someone who’s seen enough heated moments in his career to know when to cool things off.

But there’s more to this than just a single game. Both Kiyan and Lewis are four-star prospects with plenty of history. They even considered teaming up at Florida State before going their separate ways. Now, as they wrap up high school, their rivalry is far from over. Lewis is heading to Kentucky, while Kiyan is sticking to family tradition, committing to Syracuse like his father once did.

Ironically, Kiyan had already tried to make Melo his official coach. “He was like, he gonna be there, he gonna be on the sidelines, but he don’t want to coach. I don’t know why,” Kiyan shared. But the younger Anthony isn’t giving up. If he makes the NBA, he plans to ask again, though he knows his dad prefers “watching, observing, and telling” him what to fix.

One thing is clear, coach title or not, Melo’s always in Kiyan’s corner.

Kiyan learns from both coach Melo and dad Melo

It’s no surprise that training with Carmelo Anthony comes with its challenges. In his 2023 Overtime documentary Evolution, Kiyan opened up about how intense those sessions could get. “My dad is a trainer. We used to, you know, be in a lot of controversy because I was like 12 years old, and he was trying to put me in the post at the time,” he shared.

And Melo’s tough love didn’t stop there. During a game in 2023, the NBA legend didn’t hold back. “Y’all not playing hard,” he snapped, as shown in the same documentary. “Y’all playing soft, y’all playing like suckers. You think y’all gonna be recruited by coaches playing like this?” That kind of honesty might sting, but it’s exactly why Kiyan keeps improving.

Yet Kiyan knows the value of having Melo on the sidelines. “Whenever my dad sees us lacking or doing something bad, he always comes to the timeout and gives his input,” he said in another 2023 video. “Everybody loves to listen because they know he knows what he’s talking about.”

But practice? That’s a whole different beast. Speaking to Yahoo! Sports last year, Kiyan admitted, “If I were to mess up, he’ll get on me. He just wants me to be great… He guards me real aggressive just so I can feel what the next-level strength is like.”

So, while Carmelo Anthony won’t be coaching an NBA team anytime soon, he’ll definitely be courtside next year—right beside Kiyan at Syracuse.