La La Anthony proves that mother knows best.
The former MTV veejay, 41, attended the premiere of the show’s third season BMF at the Hollywood Athletic Club on Thursday, where she spoke with PEOPLE about how her 16-year-old son Kiyan rose to social media fame. La La shares a son with ex Carmelo Anthony (39).
“It makes me so proud,” La La says of her son’s fame. “Because I know that, I can kind of talk him down, make sure he understands. And he’s so calm and humble and a really great kid.”
As for whether she’s given her son any advice about navigating stardom, the proud mom says there are a few things she reminds her son of.
“Don’t listen to negative comments. Just do what makes you happy,” says La La. “Just turn the outside noise down. I always tell him, ‘Turn the outside noise down. It doesn’t matter.'”
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La La Anthony and Kiyan Anthony at the Kim Shui show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Spring Studios on February 12, 2022.
Michael Loccisano/Getty
La La Anthony on Son Kiyan’s Growing Popularity on Social Media: ‘He Has Almost a Million Followers!’ (Exclusive)
In December, La La spoke to PEOPLE about how her son, who is already a national high school basketball champion at age 16, started becoming influential on social media.
“He has almost a million followers!” she said. “He’s not addicted to posting or anything, but he likes to post his highlights from games or practice routines. That’s important, especially now that he’s started visiting colleges. You want people to know what you’re doing.”
She added that his growing popularity comes with one problem — he’s getting recognized wherever he goes. “Sometimes it’s hard for him when it’s time to move,” she said.
“So I’m a little careful with him when he’s on the subway and stuff. It’s kind of hard for him to get around the city when people say, ‘Hey, let’s take a picture!'”
The proud mom added that Kiyan killed it in his first home game of the season.
“We were all at his first home game recently,” she revealed about herself and her ex-husband. “It was great – he got 26 points, so we were all really excited. We’re always front and center when he needs to be supported.”
As for where he might end up after college? Still unclear, but La La shared Kiyan is a huge Knicks fan.
“My son’s father was a New York Knicks legend, so they’ve already been to a bunch of games this season. It’s nice for him to be able to experience that, especially now that he’s a big player himself.”
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Source: HIS Education