The Los Angeles Lakers have embraced the spotlight by selecting Bronny James at No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Despite the fact that James was a late second-round selection who was taken with a pick that has never once produced an All-Star, the basketball community was up in arms.

Calls of nepotism inevitably rained down upon James and the Lakers, as critics quickly jumped to the conclusion that the selection was exclusively a product of LeBron James wanting to play with his son.

It’s been the dominant narrative throughout Bronny James’ journey to the NBA. Despite his status as a four-star recruit coming out of high school, and the inevitable impact that going into cardiac arrest had on his freshman season at USC, James’ rise to the Association has been widely discredited as a product of his father’s success.

In a recent appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & The Kid Mero, four-star recruit Kiyan Anthony, who happens to be the son of Carmelo Anthony, weighed in on James being drafted by the Lakers with an entirely different perspective.

“It was fire. Just to know that he started it and now that I got a chance to get to where he’s at in the league…Especially him playing with his pops. That’s crazy. That’s so crazy to me. We could play against each other like we played against each other in high school.”

It’s interesting to hear from a fellow son of a Hall of Fame player, especially considering Anthony and James are and were both highly-touted recruits.

Kiyan Anthony excited to potentially play against Bronny James in NBA

Carmelo Anthony was a six-time All-NBA honoree and 10-time All-Star during his legendary NBA career. He also won the 2012-13 scoring title and famously led the Syracuse Orange to the 2002-03 national championship during what many consider to be the best freshman season in NCAA history.

With three Olympic gold medals rounding out his résumé and a style of play that endeared itself to millions of basketball fans, Anthony is one of the most popular players of the 21st century.

Kiyan Anthony is now looking to forge his own path forward as one of the most coveted recruits in the class of 2025. He’s the No. 1 recruit from New York, per 247Sports, and is heralded as one of the top-40 players in the country by 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals alike.

A dynamic scorer with developing playmaking ability, Anthony is one of the many second-generation players who could enter the NBA in the near future.

Cameron Boozer, the son of former All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer, is the No. 2 ranked player in the class of 2025. His brother, Cayden Boozer, is ranked as one of the top-20 players in the country, receiving offers from programs such as Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

As for the class of 2026, Alijah Arenas and Tajh Ariza, the respective sons of former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Trevor Ariza, are both regarded as top-10 prospects.

For that matter, some of the best players of the modern era have been the sons of former NBA players. That includes Stephen Curry, whose father Dell Curry played 16 seasons in the Association, and Klay Thompson, whose father Mychal Thompson won two championships with the Lakers.

The manner in which the Lakers paired Bronny James with LeBron James will likely continue to inspire debates, but the era of the second-generation player could soon be upon us.