In July, NBA legend Carmelo Anthony’s son Kiyan Anthony visited Japan with his mother LaLa Anthony, his uncle Christian Vasquez, and cousin Mekai Vasquez. The latest episode of his Overtime Series The Evolution: Kiyan Anthony Season 2.0 chronicled the trip in vlog format. During one segment, the 6’5 guard tried Japanese food in the city of Shibuya.
As they sat down for lunch, their guide sat in the traditional seiza pose (on his knees). Mekai immediately did the same, but Kiyan claimed his knees had trouble with that position, and sat normally throughout the meal. He did, however, convince his mother to sit like that, but she shot him down, claiming she was simply sitting like him.
Once the food was served, Kiyan looked confused, as the others were using chopsticks to eat. After struggling with them for a while, he asked his cousin to help him and got him to dip the salmon in the sauce and put it back on his plate. After finally eating the salmon (he used the chopsticks incorrectly), he was visibly regretting his decision.
After grimacing and downing two glasses of water, Kiyan finally managed to swallow it. He made a face, saying, “Nah, all jokes aside, I don’t really like that stuff bro.”
His culinary adventure continued with him trying Octopus, which he claimed to like a lot more than the salmon. He went on to try tempura shrimp, which he claimed was “for real valid”. He also liked the Wagyu beef, but it was the Japanese version of chicken wings called Tebasaki that he enjoyed the most.
“This is the best thing at the restaurant. This is chicken wings, but not chicken wings, it’s better than chicken wings,” Kiyan claimed.
Kiyan Anthony’s Japan Adventures
The four-star prospect also had fun while shopping in Kyoto. Anthony noticed that the clothing brand Bape is all the rage in Japan, unlike the USA. But Kiyan’s personality really flourished in the store. His first issue arose when he was unable to find sneakers in his size. He reacted like a teenager, which is appropriate, and said, “Damn bro! I told you everybody is mad little bro like nobody wear 12!”
Despite not finding anything he fancied, Kiyan had a blast at the Bape store. He tried on glasses, sang along to Lil Durk (whose songs were being played in the store), and most importantly, helped a fellow shopper choose a color for his wallet (Kiyan suggested green, claiming it was his favorite color).
A three hour train ride later, Kiyan found himself in Kyoto. He headed to the Fushmiri Inari Taishi Sembron, a shrine known for its thousand gates. The tour guide explained that walking through these gates and praying for something can make any wish come true. According to Anthony, he wished for “a good basketball career, a lot of monyion, and for my family to stay safe and secure.”
Anthony’s sense of humor really shone through in the vlog, be it referring to the camera as “chat” or the facial expressions he managed to pull off after seeing something that amazed him. Despite being famous and having the spotlight on him, he really just is a kid, and the vlog captured his childish sense of fun perfectly.