In the high-stakes world of professional basketball, where headlines often focus on buzzer-beaters and blockbuster trades, one story stands out for its quiet humanity. It’s the story of Carmelo Anthony, NBA All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and New York Knicks icon, offering to pay the entire salary of his teammate Cleanthony Early after a traumatic incident nearly derailed Early’s career.
On December 30, 2015, Cleanthony Early was leaving Cityscapes Gentleman’s Club in Queens, New York, when he was ambushed in a targeted robbery. Masked assailants blocked his Uber, robbed him of jewelry, and shot him in the leg before fleeing the scene. The attack shocked the NBA community and raised concerns about player safety off the court.
Early, then a promising second-year forward for the Knicks, was sidelined for months. Though he eventually returned to play, his trajectory was never the same. By the end of the 2016–17 season, the Knicks waived him, leaving his future uncertain.
What the public didn’t know, until years later, was that Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks’ franchise star at the time, privately offered to pay Early’s entire salary after he was cut.
Melo once offered to pay Cleanthony Early’s entire salary after Early was cut by the Knicks, per @IanBegley
This came after Early was robbed and shot outside Cityscapes Gentleman’s Club in December 2015
Good guy Melo 🧡💙
(🎥 @KnicksFanTv )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 17, 2025
While rivalries and competition dominate the narrative, the NBA is also a fraternity. Players often form deep relationships, especially when they share locker rooms, cities, and struggles. Carmelo’s gesture is a reminder that behind the fame and fortune are real people who look out for one another.
Though Early never returned to the NBA full-time, he continued his basketball career overseas and in the G League.
