Kiyan Anthony is the son of a future Hall of Famer, but that didn’t stop the teenager from naming Paul George as his greatest player of all time.
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“Yeah, best player ever,” Anthony said when asked if George is the best player in the NBA.
Anthony did name his father Carmelo as one of his three greatest players ever, next to George and Kobe Bryant. Strangely, the younger Anthony’s regard for George is not unusual, with the 33-year-old receiving similar acclaim from another young star recently.
Brandon Miller named George as his G.O.A.T. in the run-up to the 2023 NBA Draft, where Miller was selected No. 2 overall by the Charlotte Hornets, who are coincidentally owned by Michael Jordan. Miller in fact dismissed the idea of LeBron James being the greatest of all time when mentioning George.
George arguably also is on his way to the Hall of Fame, averaging 20.6 points per game on the verge of entering his 14th NBA season after completing his fourth with the Los Angeles Clippers. He earned All-NBA First Team honors for the 2018-19 season and has received All-NBA Third Team honors five times, including as recently as the 2020-21 campaign.
The elder Anthony recently announced his retirement after last playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-22 season. He ranks ninth in NBA history in points, led the league in points per game in the 2012-13 campaign while with the New York Knicks and was named to an All-NBA team six times.
Interestingly, neither he nor George have ever won an NBA championship or even played in the NBA Finals. The G.O.A.T. debate usually revolves primarily around Jordan, who won six NBA titles, and James, who remains in search of his fifth.
The younger Anthony is part of the 2025 high school class and reportedly has over 10 college basketball offers, including from Syracuse University, where his father won the 2003 national championship to cap his only NCAA season.
The Knicks reportedly rejected trading for George this offseason, and the Portland Trail Blazers reportedly considered trading the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft for him. Perhaps if the younger Anthony were running those clubs, a deal would have been made.
