As Kiyan Anthony continues to build his resume with on-court achievements, his off-court activities are gaining significant interest. In November last year, he signed with WME for NIL representation—the same billion-dollar company that represents his mother, La La Anthony. Soon, the 18-year-old will begin his journey with his father’s alma mater. It’s not surprising that he already has a collaboration with him up his sleeve. But what about Carmelo Anthony’s son’s dream brand?
With an already $1 million NIL valuation, the second-generation star is thriving with numerous offers. Amid this, Melo once shared his advice on choosing the right project. “When looking at NIL deals, look for the long-term and look for the longevity in a deal,” Kiyan Anthony told On3 via Zoom. “Don’t just try to do all these one-off deals where you can make some money.” Thinking on the long-term project lines, the Long Island Lutheran star has one particular company in mind.
“I wouldn’t say I have like a dream brand like that, I always wanted to work with, but I love snacks, so like fruit snacks, like Doritos, like one of those brands.” In a recent episode of the NILOSOPHY podcast, Kiyan wanted a snacking partner in Doritos, which is a product of Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. As of May 2025, PepsiCo’s net worth, or market capitalization, is approximately $180 billion. Carmelo Anthony’s son is pretty clear why he wants to work with them.
“I could just get unlimited Doritos, that would be like you know, that would be the goal. Yeah, like if I had a lifetime of Doritos, like I’ll be good.” On the same podcast, the Syracuse recruit also announced his project with the Orange. “We have a brand deal coming like a collab with Syracuse. We trying to do collabs with multiple other brands, so just trying to connect in any way possible.” Kiyan did not divulge further details, but his One Way Clothing, a streetwear label, will drop some merch with the 2003 NCAA championship program. Did you know the brand is already earning significant money?
Carmelo Anthony’s son’s real reason for starting a brand was not because of financial gain
In 2023, Kiyan, alongside his friend Jadyn, launched One Way Clothing, a “six-figure brand”. Operating out of Harlem, One Way Clothing focuses on streetwear essentials—hoodies, T-shirts, and joggers. Carmelo Anthony is also proud of his son’s independent success. “I’m proud of him that he took it upon himself to set a little business up for him and not wait for me or his mom to set it up. It’s like he’s doing himself.”
Oct 25, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Former NBA player Carmelo Anthony (r) sits with his son Kiyan Anthony (l) at the game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
But Kiyan Anthony’s entrepreneurial journey started because of boredom. The 18-year-old detailed his vision and idea behind his clothing brand on the Overtime reality series The Evolution. The answer was pretty simple: since he transferred to a new school, he wanted to work on something. “We was always into fashion. So we was like, ‘Why don’t we just try a clothing brand, and we just did it.’”
This interview took place in September last year, where Melo’s son also dropped a few big names to potentially work with. “If I could have anybody in One Way, I would probably put a rapper like Lil Baby or like Drake in some One Way… “This collaboration goal might happen in the future, meanwhile, Kiyan is already trying to grow the potential of his brand. After all, a project with Syracuse is not easy to get.
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