Words by John Hobbs
Manchester Basketball’s slogan of “Rep the City” runs deep. For Kaiyem Cleary, it is injected into his veins.
After nearly eight years away, he returns to the city and throughout his time in the United States, he has never forgotten his roots, never forgotten where he came from. He’s proud to be a Manchester Basketball player.
“It’s been eight years or something since I’ve been back, so being home and being able to play in front of like my friends, my family, you know, all the supporters, you know, people from my high school. It’s a blessing, honestly,” Cleary proudly stated.
“It’s been a long time, so it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come back and, like I said, I’ve been gone eight years to come back home and play in front of my city, around my fans. So, it’s a blessing, honestly.”
A full circle moment indeed for the local lad who started playing at Wright Robinson in Gorton before moving to Loretto College in Hulme, while starring for the Manchester Magic juniors before winning the NBL1 Play-Off final with them in 2017.
Having graduated from Magic, he headed to America, playing for Florida Southern, FSW, Ball State, and finishing up with Le Moyne, where he broke the scoring record, as his 43 points helped Le Moyne defeat Long Island 87-74 in January 2024.
After a season in France, he made his Great Britain debut in 2024, against South Sudan, and now he’s home.
“I messed around when I was growing up. I started in high school, that’s when I started taking it a bit more seriously,” Cleary reflects.
“I joined Manchester Magic when I was around, 12, 13. I played in the under-13s and then from there just cancelled everything else out and then just focused on basketball.”
FROM CHALLENGES TO CHAMPIONSHIP DREAMS
Living in a city where football is separated by United and City, Cleary unsurprisingly started his sporting odyssey on the pitch but was lured to basketball thanks to its fast-paced, team-oriented nature.
Cleary loved that anyone could score and that he could express himself more. It clearly worked as basketball became his obsession, his passion. His experience with the Magic was unforgettable, but it was when he arrived in the States that reality set in.
“Anyone that goes to America, goes to college from Europe or from England, it’s all a grind,” Cleary reflected.
“It tests if you really want it, if you really want this job and if you really want to do this as a career. That’s pretty much all it was. It was literally a grind.
“It was an amazing experience, but it was very difficult; it tests your character. It builds your character, it really builds you up to be able to go through nearly everything in life because you’re dealing with so much stuff over there.
“Away from home, you’ve got studies, you’ve got coaches. You know, you’ve got basketball, it’s different when you’re coming from across the world to do it.”
However, despite the struggles of being away from home, having to deal with different coaches, playing styles, and studies, Cleary persevered and thrived. He averaged 15.3 points in his final year at Le Moyne and got his professional break in France before heading home. Cleary feels the time is right and is eager to get going.
“I just want to win. Being here and playing for Manchester gives me an extra edge, like I’ve got a bit more fire in me to really win because I’m back home,” Cleary says.
“I want to put on for the crowd. I want to put on for my people, I want to win games, so I just feel it, I feel the energy inside of me. I feel the fire inside of me. So definitely to bring that and to put on a show, and honestly, I don’t really feel any pressure being home. I just feel like it’s an opportunity to just go out and have fun.
“This is where I grew up playing, so just being able to go out and show everybody who supported me growing up what I can do and, you know, how far I’ve come and stuff like that. So, it’s a blessing, I’m looking forward to it.”
And what better way to start than with a local derby against the Cheshire Phoenix at what is scheduled to be a sold-out Manchester Basketball Performance Centre.
“We want to build this culture back up and put Manchester back on the map,” he says. “We’ve rebranded and everything. So, definitely to win as many games as possible, get a title, get a championship, basically win as much as possible.”
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