Knicks’ Cleanthony Early addresses fans after shooting
New York Knicks forward Cleanthony Early took to Instagram on Thursday to address fans in the wake of being shot at a strip club in Queens, N.Y. on Wednesday.
“Everything I Go Through Grows Me & a simple celebration of a friends birthday easily turned into a day that will change my life forever but for the Better,” Early said in the post.
Early left a strip club in Queens, N.Y. around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, when he was confronted by a group of people wearing ski masks who robbed him of his personal belongings and shot him once in the right knee.
The New York Daily Newsreported that Early surrendered his belongings, including cash and gold chains, before being shot. The 24-year-old was taken to a local hospital following the attack and was in stable condition.
“Continue to count your blessings regardless, I know I will, because I got shot but ironically I dodge[d] a bullet,” Early added. “It could of been way worse and I’m thankful and grateful it wasn’t.”
Yahoo’s Shams Charania reports an MRI revealed no structural damage, as the bullet went straight through, and that Early will not need surgery on his knee. According to Charania, Early’s expected timetable for recovery is six to 12 weeks.
Early was drafted by the Knicks in 2014, and has played in 10 games in his second season with the team, averaging 0.7 points and 3.4 minutes per game. He played in 39 games last season after missing two months to recover from arthroscopic surgery in his right knee.
