- Home court: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
- G.M: Mike Gansey
- Coach: J.B. Bickerstaff
- Star: G Donovan Mitchell
- 2021 Season: 44-38, lost to the Hawks in a Play-In Game.
- NBA Titles: 2016
- Greatest Player: LeBron James
- Factoid: Jerry Tomko is one of the most important men in NBA history you’ve probably never heard of. It was Tomko, an Ohio resident who submitted the name “Cavaliers” in a contest to name the franchise. Tomko wrote that Cavaliers, "represent a group of daring, fearless men, whose life’s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds.
Really, the Cavaliers of the ultimate home team makes good story.
Let’s start with that lone championship in 2016. It took a team led by a hometown talent to make it happen. LeBron James, aka “The King,” was born in Akron and became a national sensation before he ever made his NBA debut.
His exploits at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School had media flocking to Akron to catch a glimpse of the muscular, athletic, talented basketball player who was unstoppable. James bypassed college, jumping straight to the NBA and was the No.1 pick in the 2003 Draft.
He was more than just a great basketball player. James was such a transcendent star that NBA players who had never considered playing in Cleveland wanted to play with the kingmaker.
It paid off in 2016 when the Cavs became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the title. James was named MVP of the Finals.
It was a championship that reverberated throughout the entire state. Cleveland hadn’t won a title since 1964 when the Browns did it.
And then, of course, there’s the nickname. There are lots of bulls and bulldogs out there, lions and tigers and bears, oh my. But Cavaliers? Now that’s unique.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer hosted a contest to name the expansion franchise in 1970. An Ohio resident suggested Cavaliers because they "represent a group of daring, fearless men, whose life’s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds."
Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the hometown team that’s made good.