When Carmelo Anthony stepped to the microphone at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in September 2025, he did not reach for his trophy count or his All-Star selections. He reached for his children. Both of them stood in the audience that night, including his daughter, who had spent most of her eight years on earth largely shielded from the spotlight her father occupied for two decades. According to Yahoo Entertainment, Anthony spoke directly to his kids from the stage: “Your father isn’t perfect, but he is proof that struggle doesn’t mean surrender. Proof that the road can be rough and still lead to glory.” The presence of Genesis Harlo Anthony at that ceremony was, by any measure, one of the most significant public moments of her young life.
Born Into a Complicated Moment
Genesis Harlo Anthony was born on August 1, 2017, in the United States. Her mother is Mia Angel Burks, a Chicago-based entrepreneur and author. Her father is Carmelo Anthony, the retired NBA star who spent 19 seasons in the league and ranks among the greatest scorers in basketball history.
The circumstances surrounding her birth were complicated from the start. According to People magazine, Carmelo and La La Anthony had briefly separated in April 2017 before reconciling in late 2018. Genesis arrived during that separation period, while her father was still legally married to La La. That context placed her birth at the center of significant public attention, most of which her mother worked hard to keep away from her daughter.
Mia Burks became public about Carmelo’s connection to Genesis relatively early. Carmelo, however, kept his acknowledgment private for years. According to BCK Online, he did not publicly confirm Genesis as his daughter until May 2023, when he announced his retirement from the NBA. His retirement video, which reflected on his 19-year career, featured a photograph of Genesis alongside one of his son Kiyan. It was the clearest public acknowledgment he had given of her existence up to that point.
The name Genesis carries obvious significance. It means beginning, origin, the start of something new. Her middle name, Harlo, later became the name of the central character in her mother’s children’s book. That detail alone tells a great deal about how Mia Burks chose to honor her daughter through her creative work.
Mia Burks: The Mother Building Her Own Story
Understanding Genesis Harlo Anthony means understanding Mia Angel Burks, because Burks has been the constant and primary figure in Genesis’s daily life since birth. Burks grew up in Chicago and met Carmelo Anthony during the NBA Draft period in that city. According to EssentiallySports, Anthony Jacobs, who discussed the situation on Chicago Morning Takeover, said Mia met Carmelo at Room Seven, a Chicago club, during draft press activities.
Burks built her public identity around motherhood and creative entrepreneurship rather than around her connection to a famous athlete. She maintained an Instagram presence that documented Genesis’s milestones, birthday parties, and daily moments with the kind of warmth and specificity that characterized a devoted parent rather than someone using a child for social media traction.
August 2024
When Genesis turned seven in August 2024, Burks organized a birthday celebration that became one of the most talked-about moments in the family’s public timeline. According to Sportskeeda, the party carried a full New York Knicks theme, paying direct tribute to the years Carmelo spent at Madison Square Garden wearing number seven. Genesis wore a reconstructed two-piece outfit crafted from her father’s actual game jersey by Custom by Lamar Inc. The backdrop at the party read “Genesis Square Garden,” a play on the iconic arena name that managed to be both clever and deeply personal. Carmelo attended the celebration.
Burks captioned the photos from that day: “[8117] a love supreme. Today is all about YOU.” The numbers 8117 refer to the date August 1, 2017, Genesis’s birthday. Former NBA player Nate Robinson commented under Mia’s post, writing: “Looking like her daddy for sure.”
According to EssentiallySports, Burks also addressed the online criticism she received in the years after her connection to Carmelo became public. She stated directly: “Calling me out of my name and disrespecting me is one thing, I can handle that. That’s water under the bridge. But calling my daughter disrespectful names… all in DMs is crossing the line.” That statement drew a clear boundary between what she would absorb personally and what she would not allow directed at her child.
Tall Like Me: When a Mother Turned Her Daughter Into Literature
One of the most meaningful things Mia Burks did in connection with Genesis’s story was write a children’s book inspired by her. According to AOL, Burks wrote Tall Like Me as a response to the reality that Genesis, with a father who stands six feet seven inches tall, was already showing signs of inheriting significant height. Burks wanted her daughter to embrace that trait rather than feel different because of it.
The book’s main character is named Harlo, which is Genesis’s middle name. According to Amazon’s product listing, the story follows Harlo as she discovers all the fun and limitless possibilities that come with being tall. The central message encourages children to understand what it means to stand out and to love every inch of who they are. The book functions as both a children’s activity book and a celebration of individuality, per Sportskeeda.
According to BasketballAll, Burks used her Instagram platform, where she had built a following of over 81,000 users, to promote the book ahead of its release in late 2024. She shared illustrations, behind-the-scenes content, and messages about the importance of self-acceptance for young readers. The reception from parents and reviewers was warm, with readers on Amazon describing the book as a must-have for any family with tall children or children who feel different from their peers.
The decision to name the protagonist after Genesis’s middle name was not accidental. It created a permanent, published tribute to her daughter that would exist independent of whatever happened between Burks and Anthony in the years that followed. Whatever Genesis grows up to become, there will always be a children’s book character named after her who learned to stand tall.
Carmelo Anthony’s Public Acknowledgment and What It Meant
The question of how publicly Carmelo Anthony engaged with his daughter’s existence followed his career through its final years. According to BCK Online, he had not publicly claimed Genesis as his daughter for years after her birth, though he was spotted having lunch with her at various points. Featuring her in his retirement video in May 2023 represented the most direct public acknowledgment he had offered.
In that retirement video, Anthony said: “When people ask what I believe my legacy is, it’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, nor the awards or praise, because my story has always been about more than basketball.” The video then showed a photograph of Genesis, followed by one of Kiyan. According to BCK Online, he continued: “My legacy, my son, is in you. I will forever continue through you.”
The framing of both children as his legacy in a single video sent a message that required no verbal confirmation. He had spent years not publicly discussing Genesis. The retirement video changed that, permanently and on his own terms.
Hall of Fame
His Hall of Fame induction in September 2025 went further. According to Essence, it marked the first time Anthony had publicly and physically appeared with Genesis in a formal public setting since her birth. Both Genesis and Kiyan attended the ceremony. According to Complex, Anthony told them from the stage: “Raising children in this world is revolutionary. I didn’t just want to be a basketball player; I wanted to be a model of redemption, of accountability, of love. My kids saved me. They gave me a reason to move past ego, past noise, past criticism.”
According to The Grio, he added: “They remind me that legacy isn’t what you leave behind, but what you lift up.”
Those words, spoken to a packed arena and broadcast widely, represented the fullest public embrace of his role as Genesis’s father that he had offered in eight years.
| Key Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2017 | Genesis Harlo Anthony born to Mia Burks |
| 2017–2022 | Carmelo does not publicly confirm paternity; Mia raises Genesis primarily privately |
| May 2023 | Carmelo retires from NBA; includes Genesis’s photo in retirement video for first time |
| August 1, 2024 | Genesis celebrates 7th birthday with Knicks-themed “Genesis Square Garden” party |
| October 2024 | Mia Burks releases Tall Like Me, children’s book inspired by Genesis |
| September 2025 | Both Genesis and Kiyan attend Carmelo’s Hall of Fame induction; first major public appearance together |
Half-Brother Kiyan Anthony: A Brother From a Different Chapter
Genesis Harlo Anthony has one half-brother: Kiyan Anthony, born March 7, 2007, the son of Carmelo and his former wife La La Anthony. Kiyan is nearly ten years older than Genesis. Despite the gap in age and the very different circumstances of their births, both children appeared together at their father’s Hall of Fame induction in 2025, suggesting a familial connection that has developed quietly in private.
Kiyan Anthony has built his own public profile as a promising basketball player. According to People, he committed to Syracuse University in November 2024, the same program where his father famously led the team to a national championship in 2003. Carmelo addressed that decision in an interview with Sports Illustrated in March 2025, saying: “I just want him to get on campus, have a good year, develop, get better on the court. Now, it’s about basketball. It’s about developing.”
The parallel between father and son at Syracuse carries enormous weight in New York basketball culture. Whether Genesis grows up watching her brother follow their father’s footsteps at the Carrier Dome remains to be seen. What is already clear is that she enters childhood aware of a family name that carries meaning in the sport, whether she chooses to engage with that legacy or not.
Growing Up in the Public Eye: What Genesis’s Childhood Actually Looks Like
Genesis Harlo Anthony turned eight years old in August 2025. She is a child. Her public story consists of birthday parties, a children’s book character named after her middle name, a photograph in her father’s retirement video, and a seat at his Hall of Fame ceremony. That is, genuinely, most of what is publicly known about her day-to-day life.
Mia Burks has managed her daughter’s public presence with deliberate care. She has shared enough to give Genesis’s story warmth and visibility without exposing her to the level of scrutiny that can damage a child raised in connection with famous parents. The birthday party photos, the book promotion content, and the occasional glimpse into their daily life show a household built around celebration, creativity, and the kind of ordinary childhood moments that exist in every family regardless of who the father is.
According to AOL, Genesis is already showing signs of inheriting her father’s height. At eight years old, she is noticeably tall for her age. That physical trait is what inspired Tall Like Me in the first place, and it suggests she will carry a visible connection to her father’s physical presence wherever she goes.
She attends school, presumably in the Chicago area where her mother is based, though her specific school has not been reported by any named major publication. The details of her daily routine, her friendships, her interests beyond what has appeared in her mother’s social media posts, all remain appropriately private for a child her age.
The Broader Anthony Family Context
Understanding where Genesis Harlo Anthony fits in the Anthony family story requires understanding the full picture around Carmelo Anthony’s personal life. He was married to La La Anthony from 2010 to 2021. According to People, La La filed for divorce in 2021 citing irreconcilable differences, after a period in which she had accused Carmelo of infidelity in 2017. Genesis was born during that 2017 separation period.
Carmelo’s own father, Carmelo Iriarte, died of cancer when Carmelo was a toddler, according to Essence. That loss shaped his understanding of fatherhood profoundly. He grew up without the presence of his biological father and has spoken across multiple interviews about what that absence meant for him. In his Hall of Fame speech, according to The Grio, he said: “I didn’t just want to be a basketball player; I wanted to be a model of redemption, of accountability, of love.”
The arc from a man who lost his father as a toddler to a man publicly declaring that his children saved him at his Hall of Fame induction carries its own emotional weight. Genesis Harlo Anthony sits inside that arc, a child whose father is working, publicly and imperfectly, to be the presence in her life that was absent in his own.
What Mia Burks Said About Co-Parenting
Co-parenting between Mia Burks and Carmelo Anthony has unfolded largely out of the public eye. Burks has not given extensive sit-down interviews to named major publications about the mechanics of their arrangement. What has surfaced publicly comes through her social media presence and a small number of reported statements.
According to EssentiallySports, her overall approach to the co-parenting dynamic has centered on putting Genesis first, even when the public attention surrounding their situation created genuine personal difficulty. Her decision to bring both Carmelo and the Knicks theme directly into Genesis’s seventh birthday party, rather than erasing his presence or symbolism from the celebration, reflects a co-parenting philosophy built around keeping the child’s connection to both parents alive regardless of adult complexity.
Carmelo’s attendance at that birthday party, publicly documented through the photos Burks shared, suggested a co-parenting arrangement that had found a functional rhythm by 2024, even if the years between 2017 and 2023 carried tension and public dispute.
Burks has stated publicly that despite the challenges of her situation, her focus remains on her daughter’s wellbeing and development. The children’s book, the birthday parties, the social media presence she has built around Genesis’s milestones, all reflect a parent whose primary creative and personal energy flows toward raising her daughter rather than relitigating the adult circumstances that surrounded her birth.
A Child Named for New Beginnings
Genesis means beginning. The name sits at the top of the oldest book in the Judeo-Christian tradition and captures the idea that something entirely new has arrived in the world. Mia Burks chose that name for her daughter in 2017. Whatever the circumstances that surrounded that choice, the meaning has aged well.
Genesis Harlo Anthony arrives in public consciousness as the daughter of one of the NBA’s most celebrated scorers, the child of a mother who responded to a complicated situation by writing a children’s book and building a supportive community around her daughter’s development, and the little girl whose photograph appeared in one of the most widely shared retirement videos in recent sports history.
She is eight years old. Her story is genuinely just beginning. Whatever she chooses to do with the family name she carries, the foundation her mother has built around her suggests she will have the self-confidence and the grounding to make those choices on her own terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Genesis Harlo Anthony?
Genesis Harlo Anthony is the daughter of retired NBA star Carmelo Anthony and Chicago entrepreneur Mia Angel Burks. According to BCK Online, she was born on August 1, 2017. She is Carmelo Anthony’s youngest child and his only child with Mia Burks. Her half-brother is Kiyan Anthony, Carmelo’s son with his former wife La La Anthony.
When did Carmelo Anthony publicly acknowledge Genesis?
According to BCK Online and People, Carmelo Anthony first publicly acknowledged Genesis in May 2023 when he included her photograph in his NBA retirement video. His Hall of Fame induction speech in September 2025, reported by Essence and Complex, marked the first time he publicly appeared with her at a major formal event and spoke about both children as his legacy.
Who is Mia Burks?
Mia Angel Burks is the mother of Genesis Harlo Anthony and the author of the children’s book Tall Like Me, published in late 2024. According to EssentiallySports, she met Carmelo Anthony in Chicago during the NBA Draft period. She has raised Genesis primarily privately while building a public presence through her social media platforms and creative work inspired by her daughter.
What is the book Tall Like Me about?
According to Amazon and AOL, Tall Like Me is a children’s activity book written by Mia Angel Burks and inspired by her daughter Genesis. The book’s main character is named Harlo, which is Genesis’s middle name. The story follows Harlo as she discovers the fun and limitless possibilities of being tall, encouraging children to embrace their individuality and love what makes them unique.