Cleanthony Early facts for kids
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Early with the New York Knicks in 2014
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| No. 24 – Al Arabi SC | |
|---|---|
| Power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 17, 1991 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34th overall |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Pro career | 2014–present |
| League | Qatari Basketball League |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2016 | New York Knicks |
| 2015–2016 | Westchester Knicks |
| 2016–2017 | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| 2017–2018 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2018 | Enriquillo |
| 2018–2019 | Tokyo Hachioji Bee Trains |
| 2019 | Atomerőmű SE |
| 2019–2020 | Al Ahli Jeddah |
| 2020–2021 | Antibes Sharks |
| 2021 | Al Ahli Jeddah |
| 2021 | Ohud Medina |
| 2021 | Al-Nasr |
| 2021–2022 | New Taipei CTBC DEA |
| 2022 | Cape Town Tigers |
| 2022 | Gladiadores de Anzoátegui |
| 2022 | TaiwanBeer HeroBears |
| 2023 | Dynamo Lebanon |
| 2023 | BCH Garid |
| 2023 | Al-Ittihad Manama |
| 2024 | Sagesse Club |
| 2025 | Central Club |
| 2025 | Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi |
| 2025 | Zavkhan Brothers |
| 2025–present | Al Arabi SC |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Cleanthony Early (born April 17, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Al Arabi SC team in the Qatari Basketball League. Before becoming a professional, he was an All-American college player at Wichita State University. He also played at Sullivan County Community College.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Cleanthony Early was born in the Bronx, a part of New York City. When he was 14, his family moved to Middletown, New York, a suburban area. This move happened after a difficult family event.
Early went to Pine Bush High School in Pine Bush, New York. Later, he transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina. Another sad family event, the drowning of his brother, led Early to want to be closer to his family. Because of this, he decided to attend Sullivan County Community College.
When he was a junior in high school, Early was listed as 6 feet 6 inches tall. However, he told the Times Herald-Record newspaper that he was actually 6 feet 5 inches. Experts at ESPN.com thought he was a good player, ranking him as the 102nd best small forward in the country in 2010.
College Basketball Journey
Cleanthony Early became a star player at Sullivan County Community College. He was named the Division III NJCAA Player of the Year twice, in 2011 and 2012. After getting offers from many big schools, he chose to play for Wichita State under coach Gregg Marshall.
Making an Impact at Wichita State
Early quickly made a big difference for the Wichita State Shockers. In his first year, he scored about 13.9 points and grabbed 5.4 rebounds per game on average. He was chosen for the first team All-Missouri Valley Conference and was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year.
In the 2013 post-season, Early helped his team reach the Final Four tournament in Atlanta. In their semifinal game against Louisville, Early played amazingly. He scored 24 points and got 10 rebounds, but the Shockers lost a close game 72–68. Because of his great performance, he was named to the All-Final Four team.
Senior Season Success
Before his senior year, many people across the country started to notice Early. He was named the preseason Player of the Year for the Missouri Valley Conference. He was also on the watch lists for the John Wooden and Naismith Awards, which are given to the best college players in the nation.
Early helped the 2013–14 team achieve an amazing 34–0 record before the NCAA tournament. This was the first time a Division I men's basketball team had an undefeated record like that in over two decades. In the NCAA tournament, Early scored 31 points and had 7 rebounds, shooting very well. However, the Shockers lost to Kentucky 78–76, which ended their hopes of reaching the Final Four again.
Professional Basketball Career
Cleanthony Early began his professional career in 2014.
Playing for the New York Knicks
On June 26, 2014, the New York Knicks picked Early as the 34th player in the 2014 NBA draft. He officially signed with the Knicks on August 1, 2014. During his first year, he also played for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA Development League (now called the G League). In three games for Westchester, he averaged 20.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. On March 25, 2015, Early had his best game for New York, scoring 18 points and getting 4 rebounds in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the 2015–16 season, Early continued to play for both the New York Knicks and the Westchester Knicks. On December 2, 2015, he made history by being one of the few players to play in both a Development League game and an NBA game on the same day. On March 20, 2016, Early returned to play for New York after being out for almost three months due to a knee injury he got in December.
Early signed with the New York Knicks again on October 18, 2016, but was released three days later. On October 31, 2016, the Westchester Knicks got Early as a player connected to the New York Knicks.
Moving to Other Teams
On December 21, 2016, Early joined the Santa Cruz Warriors in a trade. He played 16 games for Santa Cruz, averaging 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds. He also played 19 games for them in the 2017–18 season.
In September 2017, Early signed with AEK Athens in Greece, but his contract ended a few days later. On December 21, 2017, Early was traded to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In October 2018, he played for Parque Hostos and Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic. He then signed with the Japanese team Tokyo Hachioji Bee Trains for the 2018–19 season.
On August 23, 2019, he signed with Atomerőmű SE in Hungary. On October 11, 2019, Early joined Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia.
Recent Years in Basketball
On August 6, 2020, Early signed a five-year deal with Antibes Sharks in France. He was named the LNB Pro B player of the week on October 19, after scoring 41 points and getting 8 rebounds in a game.
In March 2021, he moved to Ohud Medina in Saudi Arabia from Al-Nasr. On November 9, 2021, he signed with New Taipei CTBC DEA in Taiwan.
On May 4, 2022, Early joined the Cape Town Tigers for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs. He scored 15 points in his debut game on May 23, but the Tigers were eliminated. In August 2022, he played for Kazma in Kuwait.
On November 25, 2022, Early signed with TaiwanBeer HeroBears in Taiwan, but his contract ended on January 5, 2023.
Current Teams
On January 21, 2023, Early joined Dynamo Lebanon in Lebanon. In March 2023, he played for BCH Garid in Mongolia and Al-Ittihad Manama in Bahrain. In March 2024, he signed with Sagesse Club in Lebanon.
In 2025, Early signed with the Central Club in Lebanon on January 8. On March 12, he signed with the Zavkhan Brothers in Mongolia. On March 21, he signed with the Al Arabi SC in the Qatari Basketball League, where he currently plays.
See also
In Spanish: Cleanthony Early para niños
