Brooklyn, NY — The guest of honor arrived at 6:15 p.m., entering a room full of friends and family.

But what Kiyan Anthony didn’t know was hidden behind a wall of black curtains.

Anthony’s Decided to play basketball at Syracuse University He no longer doubted. The whole room knew. The news was officially announced a few minutes ago on his father’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast.

The big reveal at Kiyan Anthony’s after-party was known to everyone but him. Kiyan, who came with his parents Carmelo and La La, thanked everyone and then came to the main point.

“It was hard to decide,” Kiyan said as the crowd gathered around and recorded the moment on their iPhones. “All of these colleges. It was hard to cut. I want to thank all the coaches who recruited me, but in the end, only one remained.

“You all probably know this, but Syracuse University. On fire.”

At that moment, the curtains were drawn back, giving way to a full-on Syracuse celebration and another room decorated with a Syracuse banner, orange and blue balloons, and Carmelo Anthony. Syracuse jersey number 15.

“Party out back,” a DJ shouted into the microphone as confetti flew into the air.

“It was a surprise for me,” Kiyan, wearing a Syracuse hat, said of the secret room. “I looked but I didn’t even know.”

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The party was on, both in a renovated warehouse in Brooklyn and in the living rooms of Syracuse fans across the country.

Anthony’s decision resonates with generations of fans and creates a new and meaningful bridge between the program’s glorious past and the present.

The private party was held on the second floor of a renovated warehouse in Brooklyn’s Red Hook district. Both of Kiyan’s parents were born in Brooklyn. The warehouse was located on the waterfront of New York Harbor, offering panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

The old warehouse featured wide wood plank floors, exposed brick walls, and wood beams on the ceilings.

There were touches of Syracuse throughout. Syracuse pillows on chairs and sofas; Cookies signed by Orange Otto, the S or SU mascot, were served on the dessert tray.

A five-tiered cake began with two tiers of photos of Kiyan with his parents over the years; this included an official visit to Syracuse, where all three wore SU jerseys for a photo op.

The next layer had the S block; the next copied a basket with sides and nets; then a basketball; It had a big blue letter K on top, for Kiyan and Otto of the Orange.

The falling confetti was quickly replaced by an echoing sound of music.

A few hours ago, Carmelo relaxed in the quiet with a few friends. He was wearing a red NY Yankees hat and yellow sweatpants. But now he was wearing a black hoodie, a black leather jacket, and his Syracuse hat.

Speaking at the party, Carmelo choked up twice while talking about his son’s decision to attend Syracuse and the basketball journey his son committed to take as a young player.

“It’s not easy to follow the plan when everyone else is against the plan because they want you to be your own man,” he said.

“You have a chance to bring the school, the community, and New York back to where it should be. You’re the only one who can do this. You did it the right way. You passed the challenge. “You’ve gone through every stage of development as a player and a young man.”

In a quiet moment later in the evening, Carmelo said: plans to be at most Syracuse games while his son was at school.

“I’ll be there,” he said. “I’m back in the dome.”

La La looked radiant in a sparkling low-cut top, black miniskirt and black boots that reached almost to her knees.

Kiyan wore beige trousers, a white t-shirt, sunglasses and a diamond “KIY” necklace.

The event wasn’t a star-studded Manhattan or Los Angeles party. It looked more like a lavish graduation party.

The guests were family; Kiyan’s cousins ​​and grandparents; their parents’ co-workers and close friends.

These were people who really knew Kiyan.

Yes, there were some former basketball players there, but not exactly the ones you’d expect.

Carmelo’s childhood friend from Baltimore, Kenny Minor, was also there. There were Minor and Anthony They faced each other in the first round of the 2003 NCAA tournament. Minor’s Manhattan Jaspers terrorize eventual national champions.

Basketball prodigy Lenny Cooke, who was mentioned in the same breath as LeBron James, who once referred to Carmelo and Kiyan as “nephew”, was also among the guests. So is former NBA players Rudy Gay, another Baltimore product, and Kyle O’Quinn, Melo’s former teammate with the New York Knicks.

One notable participant was New York rapper A Boogie Wit da Hood two years ago. Attended Syracuse basketball game as a guest of Adam Weitsman after flying into town with Elijah Moore, currently a freshman on the Orange basketball team.

Guests started arriving at 17.30. During the 30 minutes before the guest of honor arrived, waiters circulated around the room offering hors d’oeuvres.

Once the real party started, guests enjoyed buffet-style setups on both sides of the room. Carmelo’s personal chef, Nikki Blake, had prepared the evening’s menu with Kiyan’s help.

Blake said all Kiyan wanted were Buffalo wings, lemon pepper wings and sliders. She accommodated his requests and also added a spicy rasta pasta, a salad, a macaroni and cheese dish, and both veal and salmon sliders.

Children showered bowls of candies, including Reese’s Cups, Skittles, York peppermint patties and Starburst, onto coffee tables scattered throughout the room.

Kiyan, Carmelo and La La could barely move without being photographed. It almost looked like a wedding ceremony. Between the photos, Kiyan thanked every guest who came.

As darkness fell on the East River, Manhattan’s tall buildings were now shadows, but the city lights now outlined the Big Apple’s skyline.

And the place that burned down tonight in an orange-and-blue decorated warehouse in Brooklyn was, as Kiyan said, Syracuse.

Reach Mike Waters anytime: Email | excitement