Antonius Cleveland is the first CSKA newcomer

The team's newcomer is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. He was not selected in the 2017 NBA draft, but spent the next four seasons in the structure of the strongest league in the world, playing for the main teams and clubs from the G League. In total, he played 28 games for Dallas and Atlanta, averaging 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds in 6 minutes.

Cleveland's overseas career began not across the Atlantic, but across the Pacific Ocean, where he played in Australia for Illawarra and Adelaide, receiving the title of the best defensive player of the Australian-New Zealand NBL for two seasons in a row (2022, 2023). After that, Antonius moved to Israel. He played the 2022-23 season with Hapoel Eilat, and spent the next one with Maccabi Tel Aviv. As part of the Yellows, he played 39 Euroleague games (5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists in 14.2 minutes), including 4 starts. Cleveland played previous season with Lokomotiv-Kuban, becoming the second on the team in efficiency (16.0) and scoring (14.0), making 54.8% of two-pointers and 37.3% of three-pointers, made 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals (third in the league among those who played more than half of the games) and 0.7 blocked shots. At the end of the year, Antonius was recognized as the Best Defensive Player of the VTB United League.

The basketball player has already successfully passed a medical examination at the Moscow GMS Clinic.

Andreas Pistiolis, CSKA head coach:

I would like to welcome Antonius to CSKA. I am glad to work with a player who embodies many qualities that correspond to both my basketball and personal philosophy.

Antonius Cleveland, guard/forward of CSKA:

I am glad to represent an organization with such a glorious history. CSKA is probably the most successful basketball club in Europe, and I am grateful for the opportunity to show what I am capable of as part of it.