Of all the places to see a star NBA player, The Citadel mall in Colorado Springs is probably not one of them.
The mall's reputation is on the mend after a series of shootings that led to a temporary military ban for service members. It didn't keep 10-time NBA All-Star and former Nuggets player Carmelo Anthony from stopping in over the weekend.
A post shared on Facebook Sunday shows the former NBA player sporting a Colorado Avalanche cap and posing for a photo inside the Colorado Springs mall with two Foot Locker employees, who had reportedly sold his son a pair of shoes.
Both Anthony and his 17-year-old son, Kiyan, who is No. 36 on the ESPN 100 list of top college basketball prospects , were in town for USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp, which ran Friday-Sunday at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center.
In an interview in Colorado Springs with Yahoo Sports , the younger Anthony talked about his top three college choices, and told NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek he was forever grateful to have his dad's support on and off the court.
"I feel like now that he retired, he's really dedicated, you know, basically his life to just supporting me and coming to all of my trips, all of my basketball stuff, even if it's not basketball stuff, he's still there," Kiyan Anthony said.
Kiyan was born in 2007 to Anthony and his ex-wife, La La Anthony, while his dad was still playing for the Nuggets.
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On Saturday, the Anthonys were spotted at a much more likely place: CU's Folsom Field, which has become a hotspot for NBA stars and other celebrities since football coach Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder.
The two attended Saturday night's Colorado football game against Kansas State, which the Buffs lost 31-28. The pair generated buzz on social media for sporting hockey jerseys at the game.
The elder Anthony wore a No. 21 Colorado Avalanche Peter Forsberg jersey, NHL.com reported. The younger Anthony opted for a Detroit Red Wings jersey, no doubt a reference to the bitter rivalry between the two teams that was chronicled in a 2022 ESPN documentary .
The pair joined a list of high-profile attendees on the sidelines, including NBA player and Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant, WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg, and Nugget's new point guard Russell Westbrook.
Carmelo Anthony, who won a national championship as a freshman at Syracuse University, was drafted third overall by the Nuggets in 2003. He played his first eight seasons in Denver before requesting a trade during the 2010-11 season.
He landed with the New York Knicks, then played for OKC, Houston, Portland and LA before announcing his retirement last May.
In 2021, when Anthony was back in Denver for Game 1 between the Nuggets and Trail Blazers in the first round of Western Conference playoffs , he was booed by fans in Ball Arena.
After the game, which Portland won, Anthony called the Mile High City a special place — despite the reception.
"It's like I was birthed here in Denver, with the Denver Nuggets," Anthony said. "I started my career here, so this will always be a special place for me, regardless of the boos. It is what it is. Those who know, know. Those who don't, it's not my concern."
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