Matt Ryan went from graveyard job to living Knicks dream: ‘Extremely special’

ATLANTA — Matt Ryan’s first day at the Yonkers cemetery set the tone for his eagerness to leave that gig as quickly as possible. 

It was snowing in February, freezing cold, and his small vehicle slipped. Ryan crashed into a headstone. 

“I’m like, ‘It’s not going to be like this every day, right?’” Ryan said Wednesday before his first game as a Knick. “And also I’m like, ‘I need to get the hell out of there.’” 

Ryan took the graveyard job in 2021 because his NBA dream was developing too slowly.

He went undrafted in 2020 after five NCAA seasons with three schools.

The pandemic canceled the traditional pre-draft workout process, and Ryan was left to five-hour daily workouts while hoping for a phone call. 

The Westchester product also had an MBA from Vanderbilt and thought about pursuing a career on Wall Street.

Instead, he opted for jobs that were easy to leave, specifically DoorDash and cemetery maintenance.

Ryan was not, he clarified, digging graves. 

“I could’ve gone to work in New York City right away. But I thought if I did that, I might’ve kissed my basketball career goodbye,” Ryan said. “Because down there, in the city, you get a job and you try to build up, I probably couldn’t tell them, ‘Hey, if I get a call I have to leave right away.’ So that’s why I did these jobs where I could just drop it at a moment’s notice.” 

Ryan got the call from the Cavs.

Then he got a few more over the last three years before the latest from Ryan’s hometown team, the Knicks.

The 27-year-old wing was officially signed Wednesday on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, with a commute of about 20 minutes from the Knicks practice facility in Tarrytown to his former high school in New Rochelle, Iona Prep. 

“It’s extremely special,” Ryan said. “But at the end of the day I know playing for [Tom Thibodeau], it’s going to require a tremendous amount of focus every day, blocking out everything else that’s going on. 

“It’s very lucky, a unique circumstance to come home, play for the Knicks as a Westchester kid. But I’m locked in. Probably never been more focused than I am right now.” 

Ryan’s joining the Knicks in his familiar position as an underdog.

He has until early January to impress before either his contract becomes guaranteed or he’s waived.

There’s been no word yet on Ryan’s new role, but it’s most logical to pin him outside of the rotation barring injury to either Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby.

The Knicks targeted him weeks ago before waiting until Tuesday to finalize the agreement.

The reason for the delay was multilayered but boiled down to the Knicks saving as much money as possible under the second apron before they were required to have 14 standard contracts on the roster. 

Ryan understands his job: Be a good teammate, work hard and knock down 3-pointers.

The last one is the skill that keeps Ryan in the NBA.

He’s done it for four different organizations already, including last season’s 45.1 percent efficiency on treys with the Pelicans. 

“I’ve been in this spot before, man. I’ve been probably waived in this league a half dozen times now, been on several teams. But one thing I will say is I’ve been on a playoff team every year I’ve been in the league. I’ve gotten a chance to contribute in certain stretches to every team I’ve been on,” Ryan said. “So whether it’s non-guaranteed, a two-way, full-guaranteed deal, I’ve kind of dipped my toes into each one. So regardless of the situation, I think I’ve proven that I can step in, play a role and contribute. There’s no pressure. … It was never supposed to be easy. You’ve got 450 guys in this league, probably 50 guys are rock-solid stars and the other guys got to figure out where to fit in. That’s the category I’m in. But I’ve figured out my skill that I can carry from team to team.” 

Luckily for Ryan, it’s not driving through graveyards.