La La Anthony Sends Message to Allen Iverson After Failing to Keep Her Word to Son Kiyan

There was a time when a raging debate took hold of the Mile High City. Denver had just teamed up two of the league’s top scorers, then 7x NBA All-Star, Allen Iverson, and incumbent alpha dog Carmelo Anthony. So, just weeks into the trade in 2007, far from knowing if Denver made its future or mortgaged it, one thing was clear: AI wasn’t going to be your traditional leader. Boasting, he dropped a solid in the far corner. “You see it?” he asked Melo, and then dropped another in the side. “That’s your a**, Mr. Postman.”

A lot can always be debated on Melo and AI’s over two seasons’ worth of playing for the same team. Whether Denver should have built the team around Melo’s complete game or having played around a ball-dominant player should’ve forced Melo to develop as an off-ball player, practice his contribution to set plays where AI wasn’t the focus, or fine-tune his defensive effort, and so on. But nearly two decades later, in January, Melo would reflect back to say, “[AI] was the guy. He was the leader. When it came to bringing that flare, that swag, that different aura, that different mentality.”  As for AI, he, too, had, as he’d like to call it, “a full circle” moment.

Kiyan Anthony may have been born with a silver spoon, but to keep it as shiny as new has been all him—Ranked a four-star recruit by On3 and the No. 1 player in New York per 247Sports Composite rankings. Six months before he starts following his father’s Syracuse legacy, the 18-year-old was back at it again, this time catching NBA scouts’ eyes at the biggest all-American game in the country. Kiyan, who led the Team Honor with 25 points and four rebounds in the 21 minutes he played, was outlasted by Team Loyalty 164-151 Saturday at the ninth annual Iverson Classic at Hampton Coliseum. But the moment wasn’t just his—it was his mom’s too. Like a proud parent, La La Anthony, who couldn’t attend the event, posted highlights on her Instagram story with a caption:

“Thank you @theofficialai3 for having him!! FAMILY!!!” she wrote, giving Allen Iverson his flowers. Unlike the Iverson Classic miss, La La, who “schedule[s] everything around my son,” was seen cheering her son on as he clinched that hallowed MVP at the 2025 Jordan Classic. It wasn’t just a casual show-out—he left everyone talking. The 6’5” guard went off for 26 points, hitting 11 of his 15 shots, snatching five rebounds, and putting Team Air on his back for a 141-124 win. Talking about the same, La La even posted an Instagram video on April 19, where she wrote,

“Yesssssss I’m that mom 😂😩😂 Such a proud moment watching Kiyan get MVP at the Jordan Classic, the same game Melo played in when he was in highschool! MVP @kiyananthony!!! 👑”

But mom’s absence this time didn’t affect Kiyan’s game. In the Iverson Classic, the young baller didn’t stop at just another stellar performance—he bagged two awards. Let’s take a look at what those were.

Kiyan Anthony celebrates two titles with Allen Iverson

So first came Friday, and Kiyan Anthony wasted no time. At the Iverson Classic workouts, the Syracuse commit gave NBA scouts exactly what they came to see. Sharp moves, confident shots, and a noticeably stronger frame. Social media didn’t miss a beat either. Photos and clips from the practice spread fast, and one shot had fans talking about his bulked-up look. Kiyan didn’t need a full caption to make his point. Just one word: “reps.” Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

Then came Saturday, and the energy just kept building. Handpicked by Iverson himself, Kiyan didn’t just show up for the big game, he owned the moment. With the buzz of his Syracuse future in the air, he walked away with the “People’s Choice” award. And yes, he received it right next to Iverson. That smile? Said everything. But it didn’t stop there.

Top Comment by J Taylor

Well I’ve look at other kids that have played along side of Kiyan,and I think its a mixutre of family...more

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Debate

Because shortly after, he did it again. This time, Kiyan shared the stage with Tennessee Titans QB Cameron Ward to accept the “Fuel The City Award.” As the Iverson Classic’s official post put it, “More than just a game. They move the culture.”

While Carmelo Anthony didn’t make it to the event, his son didn’t miss a beat. From owning the Iverson Classic stage to showing out at the Jordan Brand Classic, Kiyan Anthony’s message is loud and clear—he’s not next, he’s now. Notably, also present at the Iverson Classic event was 4-star forward London Jemison, 4-star guard Jamarion Batemon, 5-star point guard Darius Acuff, and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins’ son, 4-star forward Jacob Wilkins.

Kiyan’s back‑to‑back MVP nights at Jordan Brand and Iverson Classics prove he belongs on basketball’s biggest stages. Yet La La’s fleeting absence underscores a universal truth: even supermoms must occasionally choose which battles to fight. For Kiyan, the message is clear. His game transcends any single spectator