La La’s Tense Courtside Moment with Carmelo Anthony During Son Kiyan’s Game Has Fans Saying Their Body Language Says It All
La La Anthony and Carmelo Anthony didn’t succeed in their romance department, but they’ve always put their differences aside as co-parents for their son, Kiyan Anthony.
The former couple finalized their divorce four years ago after a bevy of infidelity rumors on Melo’s part, and some say Anthony has never gotten over it. Despite joint appearances for their son, the tension between the two is still obvious to the world and — messy viewers say a more recent sighting of the two screamed, “they still don’t rock with each other.”
On Monday, Nov. 24, Melo and Anthony sat next to each other courtside at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to watch their son play in The Player’s Era basketball tournament.
Kiyan dropped 10 points in 23 minutes during the Orange team’s 78–74 overtime loss to Houston, but the real drama was his mom’s icy reaction while sitting next to his dad.
In a clip posted by The Player’s Era X account, Carmelo is seen talking to someone off camera while La La, in a Syracuse jersey with her hair pulled into a high ponytail, stays buried in her phone, visibly unbothered. As Melo continued his conversation, La La put her phone away and pursed her lips before adjusting her ponytail.
It may have been harmless, but viewers read irritation all over her face, with one person resharing the clip and simply writing, “The body language.”
Someone else attempted to decipher her actions said, “Sis can’t stand that man but she gotta support the baby.”
Someone else who noticed the tension said, “How can two people but inches apart but stratospheres away from each other lmaooo.”
A fourth typed, “Yea, she hating him for life.”
La La’s dismissive energy while sitting next to the ex who once did her wrong echoes a moment from one of Kiyan’s games back in 2019, when fans also clocked tension beneath the surface.
Viral images captured the former “Power “actress holding out her phone to show Carmelo their son Kiyan on FaceTime, giving him a virtual front-row seat during what turned into a career-defining night.
The viral clip zeroed in on La La holding her phone toward the court so Carmelo could see Kiyan on FaceTime, giving him a virtual courtside moment on a night that quickly turned into a career milestone, even saluting his son from the floor. But as the footage spread, the conversation shifted to La La’s energy, with some saying her quick in-and-out at his game felt less supportive and more irritated. She later insisted she was only trying to avoid media attention — though the internet wasn’t completely convinced.
“Now I laugh about it,” La La explained during a June Complex interview. “It wasn’t what people thought. I wasn’t mad at Melo. I wasn’t saying something mean to him. It was literally like, ‘Look at your son,’ and I’m like looking around at people.”
After a long (and unwarranted) lay-off Carmelo Anthony got a call from his proud son, Kiyan after putting up 25 points with the Blazers Last Night. LaLa holds up the phone so that Melo can see the FaceTime call from his son rooting him onpic.twitter.com/iQFIICTbap
— Black With No Chaser (@BlackNoChaser) November 26, 2019
The “BMF” actress and the former NBA player’s marriage came crashing down after his infidelities eventually led to a love child.
Melo and La La were engaged for three years before welcoming their son, Kiyan, in 2007, then married in 2010 while he was still with the Denver Nuggets. Years later, rumors swirled that Carmelo had allegedly been unfaithful with multiple women. By 2017, the couple had split, the same year it was later revealed that Carmelo welcomed a daughter, Genesis Harlo Anthony, with Mia Angel Burks. Their divorce was officially finalized in 2021.
Melo kept the news quiet for most of her early life, but Burks’ Instagram photos of Genesis all but confirmed the rumors. Fans said she was the spitting image of her father, comparing their height and facial features.
The former Knicks player subtly confirmed the connection in 2023 when his daughter made a brief appearance in his retirement video. Then, earlier this fall, Melo brought out Genesis for his first public appearance at his Basketball Hall of Fame induction, where she sat beside her big brother, Kiyan, in a black-and-white floral dress as he wore a black suit and glasses.
La La hasn’t directly and publicly addressed the subject of Carmelo having a child with someone else. But she has spoken about the end of their marriage and the pain that came with that.
She told Angie Martinez on her “IRL” podcast what it was like dealing with the split in public. She said, “It is incredibly hard, incredibly hard. But what are you going to do? You gotta push forward, like every day a little bit stronger, stronger, stronger until you get past it. … So then you have to fake smile. … And you’re dying inside.”
La La has also stated several times that she wants Kiyan to feel loved by both parents despite the two not being together. Which is likely why she chooses not to dig into the messy details of their split.
