Cleanthony Early Reportedly Shot During Attack At Queens Strip Club
NY Daily News- New York Knicks forward Cleanthony Early was shot in the right knee in an early-morning attack after leaving a Queens strip club, police sources told the Daily News. Early, 24, was surrounded by four to six people wearing ski masks and robbed of his items and jewelry — including a gold necklace and gold caps on his teeth, sources said.
The shooting happened at 4:15 a.m., after Early left CityScapes gentlemen’s club on 58th Street in Maspeth Queens. He was with an unidentified female when he left the club, sources said. Early was in an Uber cab, about a mile away from the club, when three cars boxed in the vehicle, sources said. He was shot once in the right knee, police sources said. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition, and was later being transported to another hospital. His injury does not appear to be life-threatening.
First of all, obviously thoughts and prayers to Cleanthony. I am happy his injury doesn’t appear to be life-threatening. I imagine going through all of that was terrifying and having to tell your job that you got shot at a strip club at 4:15 a.m. is not the easiest phone call. Early has had it rough since being seen as one of the value picks of last year’s draft to bouncing between the NBA and D League, sometimes playing for both the New York Knicks and Westchester Knicks on the same day.
Now I am sure some of the media will give Early shit for being at a strip club, but you won’t see any of that here. If you have a bunch of money, are in your early 20s, and want to have fun, hit up a strip club with some friends. And of course Early is out at 4:15 a.m. NBA players’ schedules are weird like that. I have no problem with guys on my team having some fun.
Now do I wish that Cleanthony was at a strip club in Manhattan instead of Queens? Of course. Whether it is fair or not, Manhattan strip clubs strike me as fancier with less of a chance of getting robbed at. As someone that used to live in Queens, I realize it is a great place to go out. But if you are a Knick, stick to the swanky clubs in the city. I don’t think guys that rob strip clubs in Manhattan are taking gold caps off of your teeth. Who wants to touch another guy’s spit? Gross.
I hope the other Knicks take this as a life lesson. You are a Knick in New York. You should be VIP no matter which strip club you are at, especially when the team isn’t a train wreck. Chicks will probably take you to the champagne room for free if you just tell them fables about Godzingis. Be safe and stay in Manhattan for most of your night life. But if you stay in Manhattan, don’t get robbed by two girls like Derrick Williams did. That probably caused Anthony Mason to turn over in his grave.
Update: It looks like we have more than a few Knicks fans looking to form a Guardian Angels type of vigilante group to protect our boys in orange and blue. Today will be known as the day #TheGodzingisAngels formed to silently watch and protect.