NBA reporter Ian Begley has covered the New York Knicks for over a decade. During his ESPN days, Begley was there when Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Knicks. He also saw the legendary forward head to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.
Looking back at Anthony’s tenure as the “Madison Square Guardian,” Begley recently revealed that one of the things he will never forget about him was how he stepped up and helped a teammate whom the Knicks were about to cut.
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“Remember Cleanthony Early? He got caught up in something, strip club, I don’t remember the details, but I think the Knicks were going to have to cut him. Carmelo said, ‘I’ll pay your whole salary.’ Like just as a teammate, as an NBA brother,” Begley said.
Cleanthony Early was shot in the same knee he had injured the year before
Early was the Knicks’ 34th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He spent time on the main roster and with the Westchester Knicks in the G League.
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In December 2015, after leaving CityScapes Gentleman’s Club in New York with his girlfriend, the Uber car was surrounded by at least two cars. Six armed men got out and threatened Early at gunpoint to give his cash and gold jewelry, including the gold caps on his teeth. Despite giving his two gold chains, one of the men shot him in the kneecap, the same right knee that had had a procedure during the 2014-15 season.
Although Early was able to return to action in 2016 and even re-signed with the Knicks to a one-year non-guaranteed minimum deal worth $980,431, he was unceremoniously waived three days later.
With an uncertain future ahead of the then-only 24-year-old, Anthony stepped up and offered to pay him his contract.
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“That, to me, told me a lot about him, too, where he puts his energy. You can’t like… you talk about him as a basketball player, flaws, pros and cons, but just as a man and what he stands for, that will always stay with me,” Begley added.
Early never played in the NBA again
Early never got another chance to play in the NBA after the Knicks cut him. Although he had stints with the Santa Cruz Warriors and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he never returned to the main stage.
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In 2022, ESPN interviewed Early, and he talked about not being ready for the NBA.
“That s—t was weird,” he said. “I wasn’t ready for that. I didn’t know how to handle that. I didn’t like that, but I would have to adjust to it if I wanted to be a professional. I did, but I didn’t get the chance to adjust to it the way I needed to or wanted to in the NBA, because I got shot, a reputation was built of a player who hung in the wrong places at the wrong times, and people had a preconceived idea of who I would be, coming to the team.”
Early has been playing overseas since 2018, and in March, he signed to play for Al Arabi SC in the Qatari league. It’s safe to say he found his way back.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.