Carmelo Anthony Mourns Kyren Lacy’s Death as Best Friend Confesses Struggle With Mental Health

On April 12, 2025, Houston police pursued former LSU WR Kyren Lacy, 24, after a family member reported Lacy had discharged a firearm during a dispute. Following the chase, authorities found Lacy deceased from an apparent self-inflicted g–shot wound, per an HPD statement. Lacy’s death has devastated friends, teammates, and LSU’s community. On his May 5 episode of the ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ podcast, Carmelo Anthony invited a New York Giants star to discuss his grief.

The circumstances that led to Lacy’s death warrant their own discussion, but his loss has sent ripple effects throughout the football world and the LSU campus. His best friend, Malik Nabers, part of LSU’s vaunted receiver pipeline, spoke about his mental health. However, Anthony set the stage, “We at the 7PM family want to extend our condolences to you and your brother, man. Kyren Lacy,” said Melo. Melo then asked Nabers to speak about the way he has dealt with this entire unfortunate situation.

“You know it’s been rough some days, some days I feel good. Some days I might hear a song that me and him sung in the car together on our rides just going to work out together. And it just brings it all back.” A very emotional revelation from the New York Giants star. The 21-year-old Giants star recalled having a shared affinity for NBA YoungBoy with Lacy. “I still haven’t wrapped my mind around it, but I’m doing better.” During the podcast, he already shared his one major regret, but Malik Nabers also shared another with Carmelo Anthony, the reason why Nabers struggles to cope with Lacy’s passing.

Apr 24, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; LSU Tigers receiver Malik Nabers at the Play Football Prospect Clinic at The Corner Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s the first person I ever lost in my life that I actually, I’m not going to say actually cared about, but that I was close with. Like I lost a grandmother, but I never really you know knew her. Wasn’t really around her like that.” Further explaining, the WR stated on 7PM, “I didn’t understand death need at the time, but this was like the first person I have lost close to me. And when it happened, it just… it hit. Like, life’s real—it’s real.”

Let’s not forget Malik Nabers is just 21YO himself, so him losing his best friend and he would never have expected to talk about it. That’s why Melo gave a platform plus a judgment-free zone for the young superstar to express himself. After all, there have been 128 college athletes who took their own lives over the past 20 years.

Nabers reveals his major regret to Carmelo Anthony

Lacy arrived at LSU in 2022, one year after Malik Nabers. While Lacy had to sit on the bench in 2022, playing 14 games (starting 2), they played considerable games in 2023 as Lacy played 13 games (10 starters). Over those 2 seasons, they made a special bond, and it broke because Nabers’ NFL dream came true in 2024 with the Giants selecting him in the first round, that too 6th overall.

Any college athlete’s dream is to go pro. But Nabers admitted that leaving Baton Rouge and LSU’s support network left both him and Lacy more vulnerable: “I’m not going to say it’s definite, but if I had stayed—if we had been there—it would have changed”. Analysts note that Lacy had shown promise at LSU’s pro day in March 2025, raising hopes he’d land an NFL deal; the pending charges then clouded his future.

So, Lacy was close to his dream too, but it all went away by and the entire situation became a nightmare. His mother also sang the song I Will Always Love You as his NFL friends attended the funeral, too. As Nabers admitted to Carmelo Anthony that he had never experienced this type of pain before. At this time, all we can do is send prayers to the friends and family of Lacy, who are coping with the unimaginable loss.

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