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All signs are pointing up as the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off one of the greatest seasons in franchise history
BY MICHAEL BRADLEY
It was the perfect finish to a record-setting first-round playoff sweep of Miami.
The Cavs blasted to a 43-17 first-quarter advantage, built their lead at one point to 60 and cruised to a 138-83 rout of the host Heat to move into the second round. It was the fourth-largest single-game postseason triumph in NBA history, and it completed a four-game stretch in which Cleveland outscored Miami by an NBA-record 122 points.
“We came down here with the right mentality and again, our maturity, our leadership, all that stuff we’ve been talking about all year,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We don’t seem to have letdowns. That’s rare.”
It was a great first playoff step for the Cavs, who had posted the Eastern Conference’s top record – 64-18 –during the ’24-25 season and seemed primed to get past defending champion Boston and reach the Finals for the first time since 2018.
Cleveland had scored more points (121.7 ppg) than any other NBA team in 2024-25, had the second-best field goal and 3-point percentages in the League and balanced its excellent offense with the eighth-best defense. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were named All-Stars, and Mobley became the first Cav ever named Defensive Player of the Year. The Cavs were deep, potent and primed for big things. The series win over Miami showed that.
“We came out here with a goal in mind,” Mitchell said after Cleveland closed out the Heat.
But the high times didn’t last. A combination of a scorching hot Indiana team, injuries to key lineup pieces and even some bad luck led to a second-straight loss in the Eastern Semifinals. The Cavs had moved through the first round like a bullet train but were derailed in five games by the Pacers in the second round.
“The truth of the matter is we did not get to the level we want to get to,” Atkinson said after the series loss.
While players, coaches, front office types and fans searched for answers, it was tempting to discard everything the team had accomplished to that point. That would have been wrong. The ending was not satisfying, but the Cavs had given Cleveland five-plus months of winning basketball
and big highlights. The stumble against Indy was tough for fans, but the Cavaliers had accomplished a lot.
Mitchell had another tremendous season, averaging 24.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 5.0 apg, while finishing fifth in the MVP balloting. He spoke after the playoffs about what the regular season means to him.
“I think it’s important for our fans,” he told Bleacher Report. “I think it’s important to be able to reach and go to different cities and showcase our talent. Just being there, you know what I mean? And even if we don’t play, just being on the bench and kids can say they saw us. You never know whose first game it’s gonna be. We never know what that moment will do to inspire. That’s what drives our league.”
The season began as well as anyone could imagine. On the team’s Media Day, Garland told reporters, “[Management] really believes in this group, and everybody in the locker room believes in everybody, too.” When the Cavs won their first 15 games, everybody in the NBA believed. A 128-114 triumph over Charlotte made Cleveland just the fourth team in history to begin a year 15-0.
Ty Jerome, who would eventually be the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year honors, stepped into the starting lineup for resting Donovan Mitchell against the Hornets and scored 24 points, one short of Garland’s team-high 25. Jerome added 12 assists. It was an early indication of the team’s depth and ability to succeed even when an All-Star is out of the lineup.
“Ty’s played great. He’s earned that,” Atkinson said before the game about the decision to use Jerome in Mitchell’s place. “Complete confidence. He gives us another ballhandler too. It’s more about him playing great on both ends right now.”
Although the Cavs stumbled a bit after the blistering start, losing three of their next five, they rebounded with a vengeance, capturing 16 of their next 17, and winning 12 in the process. On January 9, they boasted a 33-4 record, the best in the NBA. Their 11th consecutive triumph came at home, 129-122 over Oklahoma City in a taut, playoff-caliber game that featured 30 lead changes and eight ties. Many thought it could be a preview of the NBA Finals. Not only did the Cavs make a strong argument for league primacy, but they also snapped the Thunder’s 15-game winning streak.
“We’re not going to stop. If I went another eight years, and I was in the same spot, I wouldn’t stop. I think it’s the only way to get past it, to keep going.” –
Donovan Mitchell
As impressive as all that was, the Cavs were even more dominant from February 5-March 14, when they won 16 in a row to break the team record they set at the beginning of the season. Included were wins over the Knicks, the Celtics and the Bucks – the last two on the road.
One of the keys to the Cavs’ outstanding regular-season performance was the play of Mobley, who registered a career-high 18.5 ppg, while still pounding the boards (9.3 rpg) and playing the league’s best defense. In addition to his All-Star and top defender accolades, he was named second team All-NBA, the first time he earned that distinction. Mobley impressed award voters and continued to earn his teammates’ esteem.
“Look at his plus-minus, look at our record when he wasn’t out there on the floor,” Mitchell said. “He’s just so important to our group. That alone gets him into the MVP conversation. But, I also feel the steps he’s going to take for us to continue to get to that level, he has to be at least somewhat in that conversation.”
It’s not as if Mitchell’s game receded in ’24-25, even though his numbers weren’t as robust as in previous years. The Cavs’ overall talent and production – remember that they scored the most points/game in the NBA – meant he didn’t always have to bear the bulk of the scoring load. Mitchell continued to be one of the league’s most effective playmakers, and in the series against Indiana, he averaged 34.2 ppg in just 33 minutes a night. Mitchell was named first-team all-NBA for the first time, and the designation was completely warranted. And even though the season didn’t end
the way he wanted, Mitchell pledged to continue playing with the same commitment and fervor.
“I think the biggest thing is, I’m just not going to stop,” he said after the series loss to Indiana. “We’re not going to stop. If I went another eight years, and I was in the same spot, I wouldn’t stop. I think it’s the only way to get past it, to keep going.”
Although the Cavs ended the season with an 8-8 performance, it didn’t matter because they finished three games ahead of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings, posted the secondmost home and third-most road wins of any team in the league. A big reason for the success was Garland, who earned his second All-Star berth and continued to be one of the NBA’s most complete offensive performers.
Garland demonstrated an ability to score from the outside, as well as off the dribble, and to set up his teammates while keeping his turnovers low. He also played solid defense to end up posting the highest Player Efficiency Rating (19.9) of his career. Garland was among the top-10 leading vote getters for the Comeback Player of the Year award. He did all of that despite suffering a toe injury in March that required surgery after the season and which limited his effectiveness during the post-season.
“Y’all don’t understand what I’m going through,” Garland said during the Indiana series. “I mean, everybody has their opinion. I’m going out there and playing basketball. Everybody has their nicks and bruises around this time, so, going out and trying to win the series.”
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Before the Cavs could get to Indianapolis, they faced the Heat, which had come out of the 10th spot in the conference standings to overcome Chicago and Atlanta – in overtime – and slip into the eighth and last playoff position. Despite Miami’s 37-45 regular-season record, it still had plenty of playoff experience on the roster, and coach Erik Spoelstra knew how to win in the post-season.
Anyone who was worried shouldn’t have been. In Game 1, the Cavs established themselves with a 121-100 win. Mitchell scored 30 points, despite a balky ankle. It was the seventh straight series he had done that in the first game, tying Michael Jordan’s record.
“He can get in the lane and finish, and he’s a great shooter. Such a complete player,” Atkinson said. “Whatever we ask him to do, he’ll do it. He never shies away when we ask him to do the dirty work.”
Game 2 wasn’t as easy for the Cavs. In fact, things got pretty scary when the Heat narrowed what had been a 19-point third-quarter lead to two (105-103) with 3:11 left. But Mitchell, who again scored 30 points, hit a floater and a three to restore order, and the Cavs pulled away for a 121-112 victory. In the win, Cleveland hit 11 three-pointers in the second quarter, a new NBA record.
Even though Mitchell shot 4-of-14, and Garland did not play because of his sore toe, the Cavs throttled Miami, 121-87, in the third game, the worst-ever playoff loss sustained by the Heat. Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 22 points, and De’Andre Hunter – who was acquired in a draft deadline trade and provided valuable help for the rest of the season – scored 21. An early 33-5 run blew the game open, and the Cavs never let Miami get close after that. Cleveland pounded the Heat on the boards, 46-29, and outscored the Heat in the paint, 60-30. The triumph gave the Cavaliers a commanding lead in the series and set the tone for the Game Four trampling that pushed Cleveland into the conference semifinals for the second consecutive year.
“It was humbling. This series was humbling,” Spoelstra said. “These last two games were embarrassing. But Cleveland’s also a very good team. ... They showed us why we weren’t ready for that.”
However, the good times didn’t last for the Cavs. They dropped the first two games against Indiana at home, with the second loss coming on a Tyrese Haliburton 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining. Cleveland regrouped to take the third game in Indy, 126-104, thanks to 43 points and nine rebounds from Mitchell, who was determined not to let the Pacers make another late-game comeback.
“I couldn’t let it happen again, and it wasn’t just me,” Mitchell said. “I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor.”
The Cavs couldn’t keep the momentum going and dropped the next two games and the series. The finale was a 114-105 loss at home.
“I love playing in this arena, man,” Mitchell said after the final defeat. “We’re 0-3 at home [in the series]. We let the city down. This place is special. What hurts is that we didn’t get it done at home.”
The Cavs were disappointed, but they certainly had a lot of success to build on for a brighter future.
“The
truth of
the
matter is we did not get to the level we want to get to,” Head Coach Kenny Atkinson
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The 2025-26 Cleveland Cavaliers believe they’re the right team in the right place at the right time for a championship.
BY JON COOPER
In his eight seasons in the NBA, Donovan Mitchell has proven a lot and been right about a lot of things, using precedent of his career.
Unfortunately, the legacy of the 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers proved to be one of them.
“I told you during the year, we were going to be judged off this,” said Mitchell immediately after the Cavaliers were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. “There’s going to be a lot of talk. That comes with it. We didn’t capitalize. So now we’ve got to use this as motivation. So what are we going to do about it next year?”
Mitchell hopes to prove people right about the legacy of the 2025-26 Cavaliers, using precedent of an Eastern Conference rival.
“It took Boston seven years with ‘The core,’” he said. “It takes time. I’m not a moral victory person but we have improved in different facets.”
It’s difficult to imagine Mitchell, who turned 29 on September 7 and begins his third year in Cleveland, having to apologize for anything after a season in which he made his sixth All-Star Game appearance, and earned his first All-NBA First Team honors.
The same could be said for the 2024-25 Cavaliers, who jumped out to a 15-0 start (the fourth team in NBA history to do so), then dominated
the NBA, winning an Eastern Conference-best 64 wins (the 28th ever to do that), setting a franchise record by winning 16 straight games (Feb. 5-March 14), recording three different 12-game win streaks, going 23-7 against the West and winning 41 games by at least 10 points.
Yet, apologies abounded because of the four games they lost in a nineday span in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the eventual NBA Finalist Indiana Pacers.
It should be noted that the 64 wins were second-most in franchise history and only the third time a Cavaliers team won as many as 60 games. It also should be noted the Cavaliers’ other 60-win teams, the 2008-09 66-win team and the 2009-10 61-win squad, also fell short, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals and Semis.
But that’s little consolation.
Adding to the disappointment was that the one series win came in Game 3, on the road, not at Rocket Arena, where Cleveland was 34-7 during the season.
A factor in the final emotional hurts was the Cavaliers’ physical ones. Mitchell finished the Pacers series playing on a badly sprained left ankle, Garland had a horrible toe injury, forcing him to play with a spacer between his toes and a steel plate in his shoe. Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter and Sam Merrill also were banged up.
No one used that as an excuse as they were forced to explain what happened over nine days after the most convincing series sweep in NBA history – a four-game demolition of the Miami Heat in which they won by an NBA-record 122 total points – taking the final two games in Miami by a combined 92 points.
“I do feel like we got better but the truth of the matter is we didn’t get to the level that we wanted to, so we’re not celebrating the season,” said head coach Kenny Atkinson, who became the 19th coach in NBA history to win Coach of the Year in his debut season – the first to win his first 15 games – and only the third in Cavaliers history to earn the honors. “I was, quite honestly, expecting more, especially coming off the Miami series. We were playing great basketball. We had some misfortune with a couple of injuries but I still thought we had enough. So it’s disappointing.”
“That’s how it’s always been. It didn’t start with us. You’re always judged by how you finish in the postseason,” added Garland, who begins his seventh year and will turn 26 in January, after playing in his second AllStar Game last year. “That’s what makes it harder for me. It’s like ‘I’m here for the guys but I’m not there for the guys.’ Even if we all weren’t 100 percent we were all out there trying to put our best foot forward and that’s all that you can ask for. I’m happy I went to battle with my guys.” Garland can’t wait to go back to battle with his guys this season.
“There’s a lot of positivity in this group,” he said. “I know everyone’s going to hit this summer really hard because they’re going to have this in their mind and come back a lot stronger, come back a lot harder and a lot better. It hurts right now but it will be good to see what we bring out next year.”
It should be very good, as in addition to the All-Star back court, Cleveland brings back almost the talented front court – 24-year-old power forward Evan Mobley, 27-year-old center Jarrett Allen and versatile, 29-year-old small forward Max Strus.
Mobley looks to build on the major step forward he took during his fourth full season, when he went to his first All-Star Game and became the first Cavalier to win Defensive Player of the Year.
He was a beast on both sides of the ball, putting up a career-high in points (18.5 ppg) and double-doubles (37) and nearly matching career bests with 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 blocks per game, and 0.9 steals. He had nine games with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
But he really opened eyes with his shooting behind the arc, making 85 three-pointers, 62 more than his previous best during his rookie season of 2021-22.
Mobley’s contributions helped the Cavs sink a franchise-season-record, 1,303 3-pointers, nearly 200 more than the previous best, with five players hitting at least 100, led by Mitchell (233) and Garland (212), who became the first pair of teammates to each make 200 of them. They also were the second set of Cavs to win Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks since LeBron James and Kyrie Irving did it back in 2015.
On the defensive side of the ball, Mobley shone brightest. He blocked 113 shots, six off his career best, and grabbed 495 defensive rebounds, only 29 off his career best, both set in 2022-23, despite playing in eight fewer games and some 500 fewer minutes. He had 34 multi-block games.
Sparked by the DPOY, Cleveland finished top-10 in the League with a 111.8 points per game defensive rating (eighth) and .454 opponent shooting percentage (third).
Mobley is anything but satisfied.
“I’ve got to be more active out there on the floor as much as possible,” he said. “My focus right now is getting better and having another big jump like I did last year. Focus on the things that I need to work on, get that down pat and come back next year and be a different player again.”
Teammates recognize his importance and realize his star is still rising.
“He’s a guy that next year coming in is going to be even more important, even more crucial,” said Mitchell. “He’s going to continue to elevate and you’re going to be seeing him on every poster, on everything all over. He said it himself, ‘It’s going to be him and Victor [Wembanyama].’ We believe that. We’ll do what we need to do as well from there.”
“I told the guys in the locker room … There are going to be a lot of voices about what the Cavs are, what the Cavs should do. I’ve been through a few of those so use it as fuel because it’s the only thing you can do.”
—Donovan Mitchell
“We’ve been telling him for years that as he grew we all grew. I think he’s the catalyst of this group,” agreed Garland. “He’s going to have a great summer. He had one last year and came back and was an All-Star for the first time and Defensive Player of the Year so it’s another step for him and for all of us.”
Allen earned public attention by playing in his first All-Star Game and proved a force in the paint, leading the team with 39 double-doubles. He became only the third player ever to average at least 13.0 points while shooting over 70 percent and the first ever to shoot over 70 percent from the field and the foul line. His NBA-leading .706 shooting percentage was a career best and gives him the top 5 shooting seasons in Cavs history.
Strus is looking to build on his strong second year in Cleveland. He was a consistent piece, averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 25.5 minutes and was the only player in the Eastern Conference to average 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals, while shooting .400 from three.
Spelling the starters is a strong bench that should be even stronger.
The group, which led the League and made NBA history with 545 made 3-pointers, was strengthened at last year’s trade deadline by the acquisition of talented 27-year-old, 6-8, forward De’Andre Hunter, who
begins his seventh season. Last year, Hunter led the NBA in scoring off the bench (16.9 PPG), providing a spark and a hot hand until he dislocated his right thumb in Game 1 against the Pacers, forcing him to miss all of Game 2 and affecting him the rest of the series. Sam Merrill, a 6-4, six-year veteran (137 3-pointers made, .966 shooting from the line); 6-9 forward Dean Wade and second-year guard Jaylon Tyson also supply valuable depth off the bench.
Gone is 6-5 seventh-year forward Ty Jerome, who notched career-bests last season with 12.5 ppg, .516 shooting and .439 3-point shooting, but the Cavs added depth and experience when they brought back a piece of their past, in 32-year-old 10-year veteran forward Larry Nance, Jr., a second-generation Cavalier, who’ll be making his second stint in Cleveland, having played with the Cavs from 2017-21.
In addition to Nance, Cleveland added to the backcourt, acquiring guard Lonzo Ball, in the July 6 trade that sent guard Isaac Okoro to Chicago, and drafting Tyrese Proctor in the second round of the 2025 Draft.
Ball, who’ll be 28 on opening night, fits the Cavaliers mold, as he, too, has a major chip on his shoulder and something to prove to naysayers, who counted him out after a severe knee injury and several setbacks forced him to sit out two full seasons. He came back and played 35 games for Chicago last season. Before his injury struggles, Ball was fulfilling his promise as the No. 2 overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft with his two-way talent as a playmaking big guard who can defend multiple positions.
“It’s a blessing just to be able to play at all, let alone with this organization,” said Ball, who admitted he was a Cavaliers fan – primarily a fan of LeBron James – growing up. “I think it’s a great situation for my play style and I’m looking forward to getting out there and competing with the guys.
“I would say the way my knee held up after the games,” added Ball, who missed 37 games last season due to a wrist injury. “When I first got back against Minnesota in that preseason game, I was kind of
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surprised how well I was moving around. I thought it got better as the year went on. Unfortunately, I had to deal with my wrist but as far as my knee is concerned it was pretty good.”
Another new face is Proctor, the Cavs’ first of two second-round selections, No. #49 overall.
The 6-5 guard shot 40 percent from three last season and showed he can do it on the pro level, lighting up Sacramento during summer league for 35 points. The Cavs like his fit.
“He can really shoot and you can’t have enough ballhandlers,” said general manager Mike Gansey. “You can run him off screens, he can play pick-and-roll, he can get in the paint, he’s got a good midrange game, he makes plays for others and he’s 6-5 and he’s 21.
“Obviously, he’s got good size, where we can play him at the two some,” Gansey continued. “His body’s gotten a lot better since the end of the season. I think he put on like 10, 11 pounds. He’s obviously a great kid and a worker and we’re excited to have him.”
In case you’re wondering if the bright lights of the NBA are too bright for him, remember, this is a guy who hit a career-high six three-pointers in the ACC Tournament Championship win over Louisville, went 6-for-8 in the NCAA Tournament-opening win over Mount St. Mary’s, added seven more in the next game in beating Baylor, on 7-for-8, then went 7-for-10 in the Elite Eight win over Alabama.
“Going through big-time games for Duke, every game the lights are on you,” he said. “That is one thing that will carry over to the NBA. Every game in the NBA is a big time game.”
The 2025-26 Cavaliers feel they’re ready for the big time.
They recognize that as wide open as the window of opportunity may appear, the Cavs know how quickly it can close.
“We have another jump to make on our mental strength. But I love our togetherness, I love our leadership, I love our maturity,” said Atkinson after the Pacers series. “I can promise you, there’s no better motivator than a loss like this. There’s the pain you live with every day until you get
back here in May or June. There’s no better motivator for a professional athlete to, ‘I’ve got to get to that next level.’ Our staff, we’re like, ‘We’ve got another jump to make. We’ve got to figure it out.’”
The players know, too. After bouncing back from a bitter 2023 firstround loss to New York with the 64-win season last year, they’re expecting a similar, or even greater leap forward this season.
“The embarrassment, I hope we all feel it and I think we do,” said Mitchell. “I told the guys in the locker room, ‘Don’t run from it.’ It’s going to be a loud summer. There are going to be a lot of voices about what the Cavs are, what the Cavs should do. I’ve been through a few of those so use it as fuel because it’s the only thing you can do.”
Take a year’s better chemistry, and their hunger to take that next step then throw in a wide-open East with injuries that have taken Jayson Tatum from Boston and Tyrese Haliburton from Indiana and it’s understandable why the Cavaliers can see a clear road to repeating in the East and are confident it going a long way in postseason.
It would be fitting to get back to the Finals and bring home a title this season, as it’s the 10th anniversary of the coining of the nickname “Believeland!” for the Cavaliers, the only team ever to overcome a 1-3 Finals deficit, to top 73-win Golden State.
“I believe in everybody in this locker room. We believe in each other. We believe we have what it takes but we have to go out there and prove it.,” Mitchell said.
“My first year we won 19 games,” said Garland. “It’s really cool to see the progress, of course, but it will be even sweeter when we get to the top where we want to be.”
“There’s the pain you live with every day until you get back here in May or June. There’s no better motivator for a professional athlete.”
—Kenny Atkinson
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BY JON COOPER
2025 Draft picks Tyrese Proctor and Saliou Niang provide a little foreign flair and a lot of potential for the Cavaliers’ future.
“We’re excited because we got two talented, two high-character and two very good players that we’re excited to have in our program here moving forward. We’re just excited about what they can become.” - General Manager Mike Gansey
It’s no coincidence that the NBA’s best teams also are the ones that have built through the Draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of those teams. The Cavaliers have used the Draft to bring in cornerstone pieces like Darius Garland (first round, fifth overall in 2019), and Evan Mobley (first round, third overall in 2021), and important depth contributors Jaylon Tyson (first round, 20th in 2024), Emoni Bates (second round, 49th in 2023) and Luke Travers (second round, 56th in 2022). Some picks have been “stashed” in various spots around the world, allowing youngsters to develop on the international level, like Travers, and Khalifa Diop (second round, 39th, in 2022).
Also important are the picks they’ve sent off to acquire talent, like Collin Sexton (first round, eighth overall in 2018) and Ochai Agbaji (first round, 14th overall in 2022) as part of the Sept. 3, 2022 trade with Utah for Donovan Mitchell, and this past summer when they moved Isaac Okoro (first round, fifth overall in 2020) to Chicago for Lonzo Ball.
The Cavs didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 Draft (part of the Mitchell trade) and didn’t make their first selection until 49th.
But they didn’t panic or settle on their pick. Instead, they came away with a haul, getting guard Tyrese Proctor with the 49th pick, and forward Saliou Niang, nine picks later.
“That first round we’re always active. You guys know (President of Basketball Operations) Koby (Altman) very well,” said General Manager Mike Gansey. “We’re going to make those calls and if there’s an opportunity to strike we want to do it. Obviously, nothing transpired but with Tyrese and Saliou, we got two guys we were really hoping to get at the beginning of the night.”
Proctor could be an outright steal.
“We had him almost as a first-round grade, so for him to fall to 49 was something we were very excited about,” said Gansey. “His size, 6-5, I think is very, very intriguing. Him getting stronger and playing in a great program at Duke, he learned how to defend and now coming to the NBA, we think he can definitely be a two-way player along with his offensive skill set.”
The 185-pound junior from Sydney, Australia, was the fifth member of Duke’s entire starting five to hear his name called (it’s the second time in program history for Duke, also happening in 2022). Proctor was All-ACC Third Team and Second-Team All-ACC Tournament in helping the Blue Devils win the ACC regular season and the ACC Tournament then get to the Final Four. His final season, he scored in double-figures 26 times, and led the team in 3-pointers (89) and 3-point shooting (.405 percent). He left ranking fourth all-time in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33).
“It was a lot of emotions – the hard work I’ve been putting in the gym for hours and hours, days, years,” he said. “I had all my family fly over from Australia. For the people who have been with me my whole journey – throughout high school, throughout Duke – it was a really special day.”
Proctor earned his special day. His shooting dramatically improved during his junior season, as he notched several career-bests in shooting: .452 percent overall, .405 from behind the arc, up 71 and 85 points from freshman year. While his marksmanship got people’s attention, it was his overall game that caught the eye of the Cavaliers.
“We just like his versatility offensively, where he can play on and off the ball,” said Gansey. “Obviously, he’s got good size, where we can play him at the 2 some.
“We ended up seeing him at his Pro Day in California in May and I think he put on like 10, 11 pounds,” Gansey added. “So he’s definitely worked on his body. The shooting piece attracted us and his youth. He’s a great kid and a worker and we’re excited to have him.”
Pro basketball runs in his family, as his father, Roderick, played collegiately at Mississippi College (D-II) then played professionally in Australia for the Sydney Kings as well as in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. He followed in his father’s footsteps, attending the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, where he played with close friend and countrymate Atlanta Hawks defensive wizard Dyson Daniels (runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year to Cavs teammate Evan Mobley) which prepared him for basketball in America.
“I think (the Academy helped) in many ways,” he said. “Just how much of an impact they had off the court mainly, time management is a big thing, getting you prepared for college. On the court, all the things that come with basketball: competing at a high level, playing not just for yourself but for others.”
Proctor, who cites Allen Iverson, Jamal Crawford, Jamal Murray, and Chris Paul as influences, is confident he also can make an impact on defense, a facet of his game often overlooked because of his offense.
“I take a lot of pride in guarding and playing defense,” he said. “Just do whatever I can to get on the floor and stay on the floor. I think defense is big no matter where you go.”
“This moment will push me to improve and keep believing in myself.
While Proctor earned renown at Duke, Niang wasn’t on a lot of people’s radar.
Gansey credits Cavs’ international scouts Primoz Brezec and Igor Tadic for this shrewd selection with the draft’s penultimate pick.
“They have been following him since he was like 15,” said Gansey. The native of Dakar, Senegal, has made a profound jump in his game. He’s played almost his entire career in Italy, starting at Fortuituto Kontatto Bologna, then, the past two seasons in La Liga, with Dolomiti Energia Trento in the A League. Last season, Niang was the league’s Most Improved Player then, at the threeday adidas Eurocamp, he earned recognition as the top defensive player, averaging 1.7 steals.
“The last two years, the strides he’s made have been pretty incredible,” said Gansey. “(He’s) super-athletic, 6-7, really long, can really guard. He’s really good on the defensive side of the ball. He can slash, good cutter, good finisher around the rim. He’s really got to improve his three-point shooting but he’s getting better.”
In EuroBasket 2025, Niang finished 18th in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), at 28.1, just behind NBA veterans Dennis Schroder (28.2), and Deni Avdija (28.5) and ahead of veterans Kristaps Porzingis (27.0), Nikola Vucevic (26.8) and 2024 first overall Draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (25.1).
Niang will stay in Italy this year, playing with Virtus Bologna in Lega Basket Serie A, but will still be closely monitored by Brezec and Tadic, and will be watched by Cavs brass, including Altman, Gansey, Assistant General Manager Brandon Weems, Director of Scouting Brendon Yu, and other members of the scouting department.
While he’s not expected in the NBA this year, being drafted makes getting there a goal that’s very much in sight.
“Hearing my name called felt incredible. I was shaking. It’s amazing, really,” he told VillagioSport. “When I think of little Saliou, I’m like, ‘Wow, you did it!’ There’s still much work ahead but I’m happy. This moment will push me to improve and keep believing in myself.”
Cleveland has a strong track record of developing players through seasoning overseas, as recently as forward Cedi Osman, acquired by Cleveland in a Draft Day trade with Minnesota in 2015, then played two seasons in Turkey before embarking on a six-year stay in Cleveland (2017-23). He’d be part of the Cavs’ trade for Max Strus. Among recent picks, Travers played two years in Australia, and Diop played last year in Spain.
“Even though they’re playing overseas, we still have their draft rights and still want to invest in them,” Gansey said. “That’s what we’re going to do with Saliou.
“We do not want to bring them over too soon. We want them to succeed,” he added. “So I think it’s just kind of a ‘Wait-and-see’ approach. We follow every game and just kind of see where it goes.”
Niang sees a path to the NBA and is confident he can follow it to make his dream reality.
“Never forgetting where I came from and why I do this, and continuing to believe because it hasn’t been easy,” he said. “It was tough at times but I stayed focused and kept believing. That was the key: believing in myself.”
The Cavs saw good reason to believe in both draft picks during Summer League in Las Vegas. Proctor went for 17.5 ppg on 36.1 percent shooting (29.4 from three-point range), with 3.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg in 27.5 mpg, including a 35-point explosion on July 16 against Sacramento. Niang, averaged 7.7 points on 41.2 percent shooting, with 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Cavs who went 2-3.
“We got two 21-year-old young guys that we liked in this Draft that were higher where we took them,” said Gansey. “We’re excited because we got two talented, two high-character and two very good players that we’re excited to have in our program here moving forward. We’re just excited about what they can become.”
HEIGHT 6’1”
WEIGHT 180 LB
COLLEGE WICHITA STATE
D.O.B FEBRUARY 26, 2000
ACQ. SIGNED ON 7/3/23
HEIGHT 6’1”
WEIGHT 192 LB
COLLEGE VANDERBILT
D.O.B JANUARY 26, 2000
ACQ. ‘19 DRAFT, PICK #5
USE CODE CLEVELAND TO GET 10% OFF YOUR ORDER
HEIGHT 6’7”
WEIGHT
221 LB
COLLEGE VIRGINIA
D.O.B DECEMBER 2, 1997
ACQ. TRD FROM ATL 2/6/25
The Cavaliers are hoping a retooled bench will help them get over the championship hump.
BY DARRYL HOWERTON
When it rains, it pours, and in Cleveland last spring, it stormed hard and heavy on the Cavaliers in the Semifinals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs when All-Star starters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley missed games with injuries against the upstart underdog Indiana Pacers.
Cav guards Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill and forward Dean Wade took turns filling in the starting gaps off the bench, thus negating whatever bench depth the Cavs had banked on during the regular season.
It basically left reserves De’Andre Hunter and Isaac Okoro to fend for themselves with stretched-out starters against a healthy Pacers squad that looked to capitalize on their vulnerable opponents by pushing an Eastleading tempo on their energy-depleted foes.
Before you knew it, Indiana had skipped town, stealing the first two games on Cleveland’s home court, ultimately winning the series four games to one.
The second-round shocker left the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded 64-18 Cavs scratching their heads on how such a great regular season ended so tragically, so quickly in May.
“We had a remarkable year on so many fronts,” Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman said at his exit interview media session in May. “I love our foundation. I love our core. Our starting lineup’s average age is 26.8 and our two All-NBA players are 29 and 24. Our belief in this group is strong. Remember, they were working with a new head coach and were able to figure out an offensive identity. That happened this year.
“That being said, we can’t just be satisfied with the 82game regular season. We now have got to figure out how to get over that hump in the postseason.”
Head coach and 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson agreed, admitting at his Cavs exit interview, “The Pacers were the better team. They deserved it. But I’m going to go positive here. We got better as a team this year. From a team aspect, we made steps that elevated us. Now we didn’t get to the level that we wanted to reach–I’m not happy with that. So we’ve now got to figure out how to get over this next hump.
“I give the Pacers so much credit for sustaining so much intensity for so long. Now we have to find a way to match it.”
The inevitable retooling came this past summer in the form of salarycap management when the capped-out Cavaliers had to choose between sniper Merrill and playmaker Jerome when both secondstring free agents were seeking near eight-figure annual salaries. Cleveland ultimately let Jerome go when the Memphis Grizzlies gave him a three-year, $28 million deal, and re-signed Merrill to a four-year, $38 million contract.
“We have built a team for sustainable success and finding a way to improve around the edges has been our focus this offseason,” said Altman in a July 6 statement.
With a playmaking gap now on the books, Altman decided to pull off a risky trade when he acquired injury-prone point guard Lonzo Ball’s team-option two-year, $20 million contract from the Chicago Bulls in a June 28 deal for Okoro, who had two years and $23 million remaining on his Cavs contract where he served as a 10th man for the regular season and playoffs.
Mind you, Ball had missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, but his 2024-25 return in the season’s second half gave Altman everything he needed to see regarding Ball’s future.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to acquire someone with the skillset and versatility that Lonzo Ball brings to this team,” said Altman.
At his Cavaliers media availability in July, Ball said, “I know how good the Cavs are. I know how good they’ve been in the past. I think this year we have a good chance to go for it all and that’s what I’m focused on.
“I think it’s a great situation for my play style. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and competing with the guys.”
Now armed with Ball, Merrill and Wade on his bench, Atkinson now has a 2026 reserves unit that has more role specificity than even his 2025 crew, while also maintaining a squadron that mixed and matched nicely with All-Star playmakers Garland and Donovan Mitchell–a first-team All-NBA guard–sharp-shooting wing Max Strus, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year big man Mobley, along with team-anchoring center Jarrett Allen.
With the 6-6, 190-pound Ball, Atkinson now had a tall defensiveminded quarterback whose plus-minus numbers show his teams play better with him than without him in every one of his previous six NBA seasons (career +0.5 on rating and +2.6 on-off rating in 8,964 career minutes).
With the 6-4, 205-pound Merrill, Atkinson had a bench gravity guy whose three-point marksmanship the past two years kept defenses away from the paint (the Cav made 39 percent of his 3s), while also providing the all-around offense-defense play that made him the NBA’s third best bench player in plus-minus with a +330 margin in 71 games.
Atkinson let his true feelings about Merrill speak loud and clear after a February game against Dallas when he told The Cleveland Plain Dealer, “I always tell Sam, ‘You’re our defensive stopper.’ His defensive numbers, his team defense, on-ball defense is really good. For some guys, it’s about making shots. But for him, he’s such a good, all-around player.”
At his exit interview, frustrated with the loss to the Pacers, Merrill said, “We’ve got to be able to guard our yard. I don’t think we have a single guy on the team who isn’t capable of doing that. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be playing. We just got to be better at what we’re doing.”
“That’s why I came back. That’s what we’re going to do this year.
- Larry Nance Jr.
“We now have got to figure out how to get over that hump in the postseason.”
- President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman
But alas, all was not finished on the Altman front in his search to strengthen the bench. By signing Atlanta Hawks power forwardcenter Larry Nance Jr. a week later at the opening bell of free agency, the Cavs president acquired yet another team-first player while doing so on a bargain one-year, $3.6 million deal.
The Nance signing gave Cleveland the big man it needed to fill in the gaps where Allen and Mobley miss games here and there, as the former did five times in 2024-25 and the latter 32 times. Nance averaged 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 19.3 minutes with a .632 true shooting percentage in 24 games with Atlanta last season.
“I’m a Cavs fan,” said the 6-8, 245-pound Nance, son of Cavaliers All-Star Larry Nance, at his media availability day in July. “I was born and raised here. Watching the playoffs the last few years, it was hard not to tap my wife and say, ‘I can help.’ This is a team that really has a chance to win it all.
“I feel like, ‘That’s the goal.’ That’s why I came back. That’s what we’re going to do this year.”
Yes, injuries kept new acquisition Nance off the court for 58 games last season, but the 32-year-old has shown to be a positive plus-minus player in his five previous homes, which included a stop in Cleveland for four seasons from 2017-18 through 2020-21 when he started 76 games.
Thus, what some might perceive as a risk–acquiring injury-prone veterans Nance and 28-year-old Ball–came at such a low cost to Cleveland, who essentially exchanged its 10th man for Ball and somehow landed Nance with a contract reserved for third stringers.
“I was happy that my knee held up last year,” says Ball, who had a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after previous surgeries failed to repair the injury.
“I feel I got better as the year went on,” said Ball, who averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22 minutes throughout 35 games in Chicago. “Unfortunately, I had to deal with my wrist injury at the end of the season, but as far as my knee was concerned, it was pretty good.”
Should things not work out in either search for a backup 1 and 5, Cleveland still has developing youngsters and playoff vets in point guard Craig Porter Jr., along with forwards Jaylon Tyson and Chuma Okeke in the mix.
This wealth of depth and definition now gives Atkinson and Altman an inner confidence they may not have had entering last postseason, when the healthy, fast-paced Pacers ran the depleted Cavs into the ground in a shortened five-game series.
“Indiana presented a physical challenge that we could not sustain,” said Atkinson. “And part of that is mental. We’ve got to get better when we have to compete at a higher pace. Yes, we had some misfortunes with a couple injuries, but I still felt we had enough.”
We would be remiss not to focus some of the spotlight on returning reserves Hunter and Wade, who excelled in their roles at both forward positions in 2024-25.
The 6-8, 225-pound Hunter, who was acquired midseason in a February deal for Caris LeVert and Georges Niang, more than filled the bench gap of his predecessors by averaging 14.3 points in 25.0 minutes per game with a stellar .634 true shooting percentage, while also supplying +10.3 on and +0.6 on-off ratings in his 27 games with the team. As the 2025-26 season continues, Hunter seems to have found his way into the starting lineup.
The 6-9, 228-pound Wade, who has been with Cleveland his entire six-year career, averaged 5.4 points in 21.2 minutes per game with a .563 true shooting percentage, while also supplying +12.6 on and +4.1 on-off ratings in 2024-25.
“We had a great 82-game season,” said Atkinson, who won a 2022 NBA championship ring as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, “but we’ve got to be better next time. We have to be mentally tougher, and that goes for everybody here.”
All in all, the Cavs starting five may be the NBA’s best lineup on paper, with four players legitimately vying for All-Star Game selection.
The new-and-improved bench has strong backups at each slot now, with more defined roles (Ball is a true point guard, Merrill a true shooting guard, etc.).
And even the third-string Cavs have developing players ready to assume larger roles on the team if necessary.
The front office is there. The coaching is there. The players are there–starters and reserves.
As Atkinson says, now they just have to be tougher to become better.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have partnered with Cleveland Metroparks for their 2025-26 Nike NBA City Edition uniform, a remix of the 2022-23 City Edition uniform that was also inspired by the Park District. The Cavaliers will debut this season’s City Edition uniform alongside the specially designed City Edition home court on Monday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Arena.
This year’s City Edition uniform inspires fans to reconnect with Cleveland's culture and heritage through Nike’s NBA City Edition Remix campaign, where the iconic "Land" uniform returns with a bold, reimagined look. Building on the Cavaliers' celebrated 2022-23 City Edition – which paid tribute to the Lake Erie coastline and Cleveland Metroparks’ 25,000 acres of protected greenspace, and introduced fans to "The Land" design – this year’s remix revives that story with fresh colors and details. Inspired by Cleveland Metroparks’ role as the guardian of Northeast Ohio’s natural beauty, the uniform captures the hues of Cleveland's sunsets and fall foliage.
“Cleveland has always been a city that shocks the world—whether on the court or out in nature,” said Chris Kaiser, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group. “As the longest-standing park system in Ohio, Cleveland Metroparks offers residents and visitors the very best opportunities to connect with nature from sunrise to dusk, moments that are truly unique to our region. Our shared belief and pride in being the best in the land, from the hardwood to the trail, is powerfully reflected in the design of our City Edition uniforms this season.”
Cleveland Metroparks, established more than 100 years ago, is home to 18 reservations and over 330 miles of trails, three lakefront beaches, nine golf courses and many other Northeast Ohio gems. The Park District’s mission is to “protect nature, connect communities and inspire conservation of our world.” Whether someone is looking to explore the Rocky River Reservation, paddleboard the Cuyahoga River Water Trail or experience one of Cleveland’s beautiful sunsets at Edgewater Beach, there’s a treasure for everyone to enjoy.
This season’s City Edition uniform is inspired by the beautiful sunrises, sunsets and gorgeous fall foliage that people can experience in Cleveland Metroparks. The uniform is majority orange frost, with hints of amarillo yellow and white on the collar of the jersey and the waistband of the shorts. This is a representation of the colors that can be seen on the Cleveland skyline at dusk and dawn.
The Cavs beloved City Edition phrase “The Land” is prominently displayed on the chest of the jersey, accented with the Cavs “C” logo. The jersey also features the Cleveland-Cliffs patch on the upper left and the Nike swoosh logo on the upper right. The player numbers draw inspiration from the 2022–23 uniforms, which themselves reimagined the Cavs 1980–83 block-style numerals, with dark russet and sunset haze inlines and block shadows for added depth and dimension. The Cavs “C” logo, outlined in orange frost, is also displayed in an amarillo sunspot circle on the right side of the uniform shorts.
A special City Edition court has been designed to accompany the team’s uniform during designated City Edition games throughout the season.
Amarillo yellow is the primary color found on both baselines and as the design progresses to midcourt, that yellow transitions into a soft brown on the sidelines. This represents where the sun meets the land. The same sentiment is displayed within the paint on both sides of the court. A lighter color hardwood is used within the three-point arc with the rest of the court covered in a darker hardwood.
“The Land” logo is displayed at halfcourt, which complements the design on the chest of the uniform. “Cleveland” is featured on the left baseline, with “Cavaliers” on the right baseline. The Cavaliers LET EM KNOW mantra is found on the west sideline. “City Edition” is written in the center of both baselines. The Rocket Arena logo is displayed on either side of halfcourt, along with the Cleveland Metroparks logo, which is featured within the three-point arc. Several other Cavaliers partners have prominent placement on the hardwood, including the Cleveland-Cliffs logo on the left and right baselines, as well as the TrustedSec logo on the east sideline.
The Cavaliers will wear the City Edition Uniform for six games throughout the 2025-26 season. In addition to the nationally broadcasted November 17 debut, fans can look forward to seeing the City Edition uniforms at the following games:
• Friday, December 5 vs. San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Monday, December 22 vs. Charlotte Hornets at 7:00 p.m. ET (National broadcast)
• Monday, January 26 vs. Orlando Magic at 7:00 p.m. ET (National broadcast)
• Fan Giveaway: Sword Magazine presented by PSP
• Tuesday, February 24 vs. New York Knicks at 8:00 p.m. ET (National broadcast)
• Tuesday, March 24 vs. Orlando Magic at 8:00 p.m. ET (National broadcast)
The 2025-26 City Edition collection includes hoodies, T-shirts, jerseys, jackets and hats and is available NOW at both Center Court retail locations at Rocket Arena and Pinecrest and online at Cavs.com/Shop.
The Cavs remain dedicated to positively impacting the Northeast Ohio community and celebrating all that Cleveland has to offer. As part of this year’s City Edition, the Cavs and their partner, Cleveland-Cliffs, will donate $10,000 to the Cleveland Metroparks Trails Fund. This fund helps preserve and expand Cleveland Metroparks’ trail network, ensuring that its paths continue to connect and inspire visitors for generations.
"We are proud to build on our partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers to celebrate the spirit of our city and make a difference both on and off the court,” said Brian M. Zimmerman, CEO of Cleveland Metroparks. “Together, we are investing in spaces and experiences that inspire people to explore and connect with nature right here in Cleveland. The Cavaliers’ and Cleveland-Cliffs’ contribution to the Trails Fund will strengthen the connections that make our incredible lakefront city and region thrive."
Fans interested in learning more about the 2025-26 Nike NBA City Edition uniform and collection can visit Cavs.com/City.
Cleveland Metroparks, recognized as one of the nation’s top park systems, spans more than 25,000 acres across 18 park reservations and over 330 miles of trails that circle the city of Cleveland in an Emerald Necklace. The Park District is also home to nine public golf courses, five nature centers, dining and retail destinations, and the award-winning Cleveland Metroparks Zoo — offering year-round recreation, conservation, and education opportunities for all.
HEIGHT 6’6”
WEIGHT 215 LB
COLLEGE CALIFORNIA
D.O.B DECEMBER 2, 2002
ACQ. ‘24 DRAFT, PICK #20
With over a century of stewardship, Cleveland Metroparks’ Emerald Necklace continues to be one of Northeast Ohio’s most valuable public resources, offering opportunities for connection, education, exploration, restoration, and recreation.
Spanning over 25,000 acres of green space, Cleveland Metroparks features 18 park reservations, more than 325 miles of trails, nine golf courses, eight lakefront parks, a variety of dining and retail venues, and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Each year, Cleveland Metroparks offers thousands of free and lowcost education and recreation programs and events across the 49 communities it serves, helping to foster lifelong connections to nature while promoting conservation, sustainability, and environmental awareness.
In addition to serving as a destination for recreation and connection, Cleveland Metroparks plays a significant role in the region’s health and economic resiliency. The Park District
contributes over $873 million annually to the regional economy by enhancing property values, improving air and water quality, attracting tourism, providing recreational and transportation opportunities, and advancing community health.
Recognized as one of the top park districts in the country, Cleveland Metroparks continues to grow with new trail expansions and guest amenities on the horizon, including the upcoming Primate Forest — the largest capital project in Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s history.
As Cleveland Metroparks looks ahead to its Second Century of Stewardship, its mission remains to protect nature, connect communities and inspire conservation of our world. Guests can stay connected on all of the Park District’s events and happenings by downloading the free mobile app, adding Cleveland Metroparks on social media and visiting clevelandmetroparks.com.
1. How many reservations make up the Cleveland Metroparks system, also known as the Emerald Necklace?
a) 10
b) 14
c) 18
d) 22
2. Cleveland Metroparks has received the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, the top award in the industry, more times than any other park system in the country.
a) True
b) False
3. Approximately how much economic value do Cleveland Metroparks bring to the region every year?
a) $123 million
b) $221 million
b) $558 million
d) $873 million
4. Circle all that apply: Which of these historic features can be found within Cleveland Metroparks?
• Prehistoric earthworks
• Civilian Conservation Corps stonework from the 1930s
• Former canal routes
• Early farmsteads and pioneer homesteads
5. About how many visitors does the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo welcome each year?
a) 250,000
b) 500,000
c) 750,000
d) 1 million
6. In terms of size, Cleveland Metroparks spans over 25,000 acres, which is nearly the equivalent to? (Circle all that apply)
• 70 Cedar Points
• Approximately 19,000 football fields
• Half the size of Washington D.C.
• Comparable in size to the city of San Francisco
7. Approximately how many people visit Edgewater Park for recreation each year?
a) 50,000
b) 100,000
c) 500,000
d) 2,000,000
8. Cleveland Metroparks offers more than 325 miles of trails. That’s about the same distance as traveling from Cleveland to which city?
a) Columbus
b) Cincinnati
c) Buffalo
d) Pittsburgh
9. In what year was Cleveland Metroparks officially established?
a) 1905
b) 1917
c) 1929
d) 1945
10. Circle all that apply: Which of the following are benefits Cleveland Metroparks provides to the community?
• Improved air and water quality
• Increased property values
• Opportunities for outdoor education
• Reduced stress and better health outcomes
HEIGHT 6’6”
WEIGHT 245 LB
COLLEGE WYOMING
D.O.B JANUARY 1, 1993
ACQ. SIGNED ON 7/6/25
HEIGHT 6’4”
WEIGHT 185 LB
COLLEGE DUKE
D.O.B APRIL 1, 2004
ACQ. ‘25 DRAFT, PICK #49
HEIGHT 6’9”
WEIGHT 243 LB
COLLEGE TEXAS
D.O.B APRIL 21, 1998
ACQ. TRD FROM BKN 1/14/21
WNBA basketball returns to The Land—and with it, an abundance of inspiration and excitement
BY LOIS ELFMAN
“There is a real buzz around this. That buzz will continue until opening day 2028.”
—CATHY ENGELBERT
The announcement was made in June, but the celebration began in earnest on September 16 when Rocket Arena was filled with an abundance of positive energy for the WNBA Official Launch in Cleveland.
“We are thrilled to welcome the WNBA back to The Land,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “This franchise is more than a win for sports fans; it’s also a commitment to visibility and opportunity. We are grateful to Dan Gilbert and Rock Entertainment Group for their vision and leadership and to the WNBA for believing in Cleveland and investing in our city’s future.”
“Professional women’s sports is coming back to Cleveland, and the story of women’s sports in Ohio just keeps getting bigger, better, stronger and more inspiring,” said Chris Ronayne, County Executive, Cuyahoga County. “Cleveland fans show up. The energy is undeniable.”
Much of the launch day energy came from more than 700 female student-athletes from Northeast Ohio invited to participate. Prior to the main event, they attended a discussion with panelists connected to the new franchise as well as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and were able to ask questions about not only the team but all aspects of basketball.
Erika Greenberg, head coach of the Aurora High School girls’ basketball team, brought 12 players to the launch festivities. “When we arrived, it was pretty awesome. They had drummers playing outside; there were cheerleaders; they had signage up. They provided snacks for the girls and t-shirts,” she said.
For the girls to see female leadership in what would typically be considered male positions was exhilarating and set the stage for ongoing engagement, Greenberg explained. The attendees learned some of what went into Cleveland getting a new team, and the panelists became inspiring role models for the young student-athletes.
“It meant a lot to be invited to such a unique experience,” said Addison Witting, a senior guard on the girls’ basketball team at Aurora High School. “My sister and I went to a WNBA game this summer (Golden State Valkyries vs. the Los Angeles Sparks), so I like the prospect of the same thing coming to Cleveland. To see the behind-the-scenes and what they’ve been developing is super cool and interesting.”
The women’s basketball team from Cleveland State University was also in attendance. Head coach Chris Kielsmeier said his players feel especially connected to the new team as Kiersten Green, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service, is not only a Cleveland State alumna, but she also played on the basketball team. He said that the Vikings are ready, willing and able to collaborate with Cleveland’s WNBA team to help build enthusiasm heading toward 2028, noting it’s a natural partnership because of their shared love for basketball and for impacting lives.
“Anytime you have the world’s best athletes competing at something in your city, that’s pretty amazing,” Kielsmeier said. “We’re going to work hard to continue to build our excitement for women’s basketball in Northeast Ohio.”
This will not be the first time there is a WNBA team in Cleveland. The Rockers (1997–2003) were a WNBA founding franchise, helping to establish the league. The team featured All-Stars like Ann Wauters, Chasity Melvin and Merlakia Jones (2001 All-WNBA First Team).
Several of its alumnae went on to win WNBA titles, including Penny Taylor (three-time champion, 2007, ’09 and ’14) with the Phoenix Mercury), and some became prominent coaches.
Now in her 21st season as head women’s basketball coach at Montana State University, Tricia Bader Binford has fond memories of her four seasons in Cleveland and how those experiences fueled her coaching career. Playing for Ohio native Dan Hughes—who in addition to 23 years as a coach in the WNBA coached at colleges in Ohio (Baldwin-Wallace, Miami and Toledo)—was an honor. She refers to him as “the best coach in the league,” and together with Lisa Boyer taught her how the sport is run at the highest level.
“Dan Hughes has been a tremendous mentor of mine,” said Binford. “I love that he loved rock and roll. He loved our community. Our community was so engaged with us.”
“Anytime you have the world’s best athletes competing at something in your city, that’s pretty amazing. We’re going to work hard to continue to build our excitement for women’s basketball in Northeast Ohio.”
—CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY HEAD COACH CHRIS KIELSMEIER
Cleveland embraced the team, which she fully expects will happen again. “I’m ecstatic that they’re getting a team back,” Binford said.
Melvin, who played five seasons with the Rockers, was one of seven alumnae on hand for the official launch, and she looks forward to continued involvement with Cleveland’s new team. She is currently a broadcaster, which was her original career goal in college before a professional basketball career unfolded.
The Rockers had great energy and so did their fans. “We had great crowds at games,” Melvin said. “We knew this was a dream come true for a lot of the players during that time. Everyone was on the same page of ‘We’re going to show them that women’s professional basketball belongs.’ That was our mission.”
Melvin fully expects to see the fans of two decades ago return, noting that people who came to games with their parents have reached out to her on social media. They now have their own children and cannot wait to bring them to games. There are already 22,000 followers of @clevelandwnba on Instagram and merchandise available in the Cavaliers team shop is being snapped up.
“That initial base of fans is there and they’re going to be proactive,” said Dr. Charles Campisi, Professor of Sport Management at Baldwin Wallace University.
Campisi’s students are working toward careers in sports and are eager to become a part of the lead up to 2028 as interns and hopefully be hired after graduation in various facets of the organization. As hiring expands, the momentum to 2028 will be palpable. “They’re seeing it as another way to be able to stay in the Cleveland area,” he said.
“There is a real buzz around this,” said Engelbert. That buzz will continue until opening day 2028 through events, like viewing parties for the WNBA playoffs.
At the launch, Allison Howard, who has been appointed as President of the Cleveland WNBA team, noted that over the next year, the team is rolling out 28 unique opportunities across Ohio for girls in basketball. There will be clinics, camps, training sessions for coaches and developmental programs, which are just the beginning of programming building excitement as 2028 gets ever closer.
“The players are really excited about being part of it,” said Greenberg, who looks forward to bringing her daughter to WNBA games. “The whole idea behind having a professional women’s team is empowering for them. Sometimes, our female youth, especially in sports, get overlooked. For them to be a part of this, they see this is a big deal. It gives them an opportunity to get more excited and to look forward to going to the games and having a hometown team to root for, which will deepen their connection.”
Witting is looking forward to participating in events and said it would be very cool if a WNBA player past or present checked out some high school games. “Even those who aren’t a part of the game or play it…an experience builds excitement,” she said. “Basketball can bring many different people, families and organizations together,” said Kielsmeier. “The power of the game is so enormous and we’re just thankful we have another platform to be able to share our love and passion for the game with others.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the WNBA back to The Land. This franchise is more than a win for sports fans; it’s also a commitment to visibility and opportunity. We are grateful to Dan Gilbert and Rock Entertainment Group for their vision and leadership and to the WNBA for believing in Cleveland and investing in our city’s future.”
Council Gardens, located on eight landscaped acres in Cleveland Heights, o ers updated studio, one and two-bedroom units in a midrise and eight garden buildings all connected by glass enclosed breezeways.
Tenants can relax on multiple patios, pick fruit in the orchard, plant vegetable and flower gardens, harvest berries, and enjoy hummingbirds and bu erflies in their own backyards.
As a HUD subsidized apartment complex for low-moderate income seniors, we are a ordable.
To arrange for a tour, call Marina Markovich at 216.382.8625
For additional information, visit our website at www.councilgardens.org
provhouse.org 216.651.5982 @provhouseCLE
HEIGHT 6’9”
WEIGHT 228 LB
COLLEGE KANSAS STATE
D.O.B NOVEMBER 20, 1996
ACQ. SIGNED ON 7/9/19
HEIGHT 6’2”
WEIGHT 215 LB
COLLEGE LOUISVILLE
D.O.B SEPTEMBER 7, 1996
ACQ. TRD FROM UTA 9/3/22
LOWER ENDS/ MEZZANINE CORNERS
ENDS (R1-8) MEZZANINE CORNERS (R9-14)
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LEHIGH VALLEY
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ROCHESTER PROVIDENCE PROVIDENCE HERSHEY HERSHEY HARTFORD HARTFORD
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GRAND RAPIDS
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UTICA
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MILWAUKEE
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ROCHESTER
GRAND RAPIDS
OPENING NIGHT PRESENTED BY SEATGEEK
SWEETEST DAY
MONSTER MASH
WOMEN IN HOCKEY NIGHT
SALUTE TO SERVICE
CLEVELAND BARONS NIGHT
CLEVELAND BARONS NIGHT
BLACK FRIDAY
HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT PRESENTED BY UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS
PRIDE NIGHT
YOUTH HOCKEY NIGHT
BLUE JACKETS NIGHT
TEDDY BEAR TOSS POWERED BY NOPEC
CLEVELAND BARONS NIGHT
SUPERMAN NIGHT
CLEVELAND ROCKS NIGHT
NATIONAL BIRD DAY
BLOOD DONOR AWARENESS NIGHT PRESENTED BY TRUENORTH
MOTORSPORTS NIGHT POWERED BY KAULIG RACING
LAKE ERIE MONSTERS WEEKEND PRESENTED BY CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
LAKE ERIE MONSTERS WEEKEND PRESENTED BY CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
BLUEJACKETS NIGHT
HIP-HOP & HOCKEY: A BLACK HERITAGE CELEBRATION
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS RAINBOW BABIES & CHILDREN’S NIGHT
SENSORY FRIENDLY NIGHT
EMO NIGHT
GLOW RED FOR WOMEN NIGHT WITH AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
MHC APPRECIATION NIGHT
PUCKS AND PAWS
PROJECT LAKE BLUE NIGHT
WGAR COUNTRY MUSIC NIGHT
KIDS BANK GIVEAWAY DAY PRESENTED BY FIRST FEDERAL LAKEWOOD
FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT PRESENTED BY PHYSICIAN’S AMBULANCE
CLEVELAND POLISH BOYS NIGHT
DYNGUS DAY
FAN SALUTE DAY PRESENTED BY CAR PARTS WAREHOUSE
The 2025-26 American Hockey League season is underway as the Cleveland Monsters celebrate their 19th campaign in the AHL following the team’s second-straight appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Returning head coach Trent Vogelhuber, born in the Cleveland area and raised in greater Columbus, embarks on his fourth season at the helm just ten years after helping lead the Monsters to the 2016 Calder Cup as a key veteran forward and assistant captain.
This season, the Monsters remain in the Eastern Conference’s North Division alongside the Belleville Senators, Laval Rocket, Rochester Americans, Syracuse Crunch, Toronto Marlies, and Utica Comets. The team’s 72-game regular season schedule features eight matchups apiece versus Rochester and Toronto, and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the Western Conference’s Central Division. The Monsters’ 2025-26 schedule also features four games apiece versus division foes Belleville, Laval, Syracuse, and Utica, interDivision opponents the Charlotte Checkers, Hartford Wolf Pack, Hershey Bears, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Providence Bruins, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the Atlantic Division, and the Central Division’s Chicago Wolves and Milwaukee Admirals.
Northeast Ohio families in search of value-packed, fun-filled weekend entertainment need look no further than Rocket Arena during the fall and winter months as the Monsters’ 2025-26 schedule features 24 weekend home games, including 8 Friday night tilts, 14 Saturday contests, and two Sunday afternoon matinee home games.
Cleveland’s 2025-26 promotional schedule is once again chockfull of fan-favorite promo nights including the return of 1-2-3 Fridays featuring $1 Coca-Cola products, $2 hot dogs, and $3 Labatt Blue and select draft beers, Blue Jackets Nights celebrating Cleveland’s NHL affiliate featuring redesigned CBJ-themed jerseys and an ‘Interskate 71’ Poster Giveaway featuring Monsters players that have made their NHL debut with Columbus to the first 2,015 fans, and Monsters Family Days presented by Jet Express, featuring Monsters Kids Meals complete with a hot dog, chips, and an icecold Coca-Cola for only $7.50!
In addition to the club’s white, black, and blue uniforms and Cleveland’s Blue Jackets-themed threads, the Monsters will sport five specialty jersey designs on 12 separate occasions this season. The Monsters will commemorate the AHL’s 90th-Anniversary Season by paying tribute to the legendary nine-time Calder Cup Champion Cleveland Barons and their 1950’s AHL dynasty with specialty Barons-themed jerseys on seven occasions, including three home dates (November 20-21, December 29). The Monsters will wear specialty “Hockey Fights Cancer” warmup jerseys presented by University Hospitals on November 29th and on Tuesday, December 30th, the Monsters will transform from mild-mannered Clark Kentthemed warmup jerseys into the Man of Steel himself during Superman Night presented by GE Lighting, a Savant Company, featuring specialty Superman jerseys and a Kids Cape giveaway to the first 2,500 kids age 14 and under. This season marks a decade since the Monsters’ 2016 Calder Cup Championship and
Cleveland will celebrate with throwback 2015-16-era “Lake Erie” Monsters jerseys on Lake Erie Monsters Weekend presented by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on January 30th and 31st. In what’s become a signature annual tradition, the Monsters join with University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital for UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Night on Saturday, February 21st featuring specialty jerseys, decorated by players and patients at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Finally, the Monsters will celebrate Cleveland’s iconic culinary delicacy by transforming into the Cleveland Polish Boys on April 4th, complete with “delicious” specialty jerseys, sure to delight fans.
This season, the Monsters promotional calendar features seven giveaway nights, including a Schedule Tote Bag courtesy of University Hospitals on Opening Night (Friday, October 17th, first 5,000 fans), a Monsters Trick or Treat Bag courtesy of Medical Mutual at Monster Mash (Saturday, October 25th, first 2,500 kids ages 14 and under), a Monsters Superman Cape courtesy of GE Lighting, a Savant Company at Superman Night (Tuesday, December 30th, first 2,500 kids ages 14 and under), a Battled Together Shirt courtesy of truenorth Convenience Stores (Friday, January 30th, first 5,000 fans) and a Zach Weresnki Bobblehead (Saturday, January 31st, first 8,000 fans) at Lake Erie Monsters Weekend, a Red LED Glow Stick at Glow Red for Women Night with the American Heart Association (Saturday, February 28th, first 5,000 fans), and a Kids Goal Horn Bank courtesy of First Federal Lakewood at Kid Nation Takeover (Sunday, March 29th, first 2,500 fans ages 14 and under).
The Monsters will also continue their quest to Grow the Game with several Social Impact and Equity Nights this season with proceeds raised on each night to benefit local partner charities. Cleveland will host Women in Hockey Night (Friday, November 7th), Pride Night (Thursday, December 4th), Hip-Hop & Hockey: A Black Heritage Celebration, featuring a postgame concert from The Sugarhill Gang (Friday, February 20th), and Sensory Friendly Night (Wednesday, February 25th.
Additional Promotional Nights include Hockey Fights Cancer Night presented by University Hospitals (Saturday, November 29th), Blood Donor Awareness Night presented by truenorth Convenience Stores (Wednesday, January 21st), Motorsports Night powered by Kaulig Racing (Thursday, January 22nd), First Responders Night presented by Physician’s Ambulance (Friday, April 3rd), and Fan Salute Day presented by Car Parts Warehouse (Sunday, April 19th).
Cleveland’s busiest months of the season will be December and January, featuring 13 games apiece, including six home games each month against a grand total of seven different opponents (Belleville, Chicago, Charlotte, Laval, Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto). The Monsters’ longest road trip of the season will be a mid-March trek through Hartford, Toronto, Belleville, and Syracuse, spanning six games and 12 days from March 11-22. Cleveland’s longest homestand stretches from March 26th to April 6th, featuring six games against four opponents (Grand Rapids, Utica, Milwaukee, and Rochester).
The Gateway District, which houses Rocket Arena and Progressive Field, is the most visited neighborhood in Cleveland, welcoming more than five million visitors each year. With between 150-200 ticketed events and more than 1,000 private events each year, Rocket Arena accounts for 34% of the visitors to the district, totaling more than 1.5 million people annually.
Since its inception in 1994, the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex has been a catalyst for nearly two billion dollars in completed, underway or funded retail, residential and hotel development.
$67.1M Generated in State and Local Tax Revenue
$345.8M in Total Output
$190.1M in Direct Spending
$1.16B Generated in State and Local Tax Revenue
$6.9B in Total Output
$3.8B in Direct Spending
$9.8M in Charitable Giving during 2024-25 Fiscal Year
2.5K+ Team Members Employed
Visit security101.com/cleveland or call 888.810.0101 to schedule your free consultation.
Hours: Monday - Friday 6:30AM - 6:00PM 2860 Bishop Road, Willoughby Hills, OH 44092 (440) 494-7202 infinitelearning.info _infinite_learning
Consecutive Sellouts –SECOND LONGEST STREAK IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL Team of the Year Finalist
Charge
4k+
Fan Attendance for 11 Games at Cleveland Public Hall
NBA G LEAGUE President’s Choice Award Winner #6 in G League Attendance
Monsters #1 in AHL Attendance TEAM AVERAGED 11,438 FANS PER GAME
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AHL Attendance Leader 4 of Last 5 Seasons
Rock Entertainment Group (REG) is revolutionizing sports and entertainment through connection, creativity and community impact.
Formed in 2021 under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies, Rock Entertainment Group oversees a diverse portfolio of sports and entertainment properties. These include the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, WNBA’s Cleveland expansion team coming in 2028, the AHL's Cleveland Monsters and the NBA G-League's Cleveland Charge. REG operates and manages Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, Ohio and the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center which is set to open in 2027. In partnership with Gray Media, REG also owns and operates Rock Entertainment Sports Network, providing 24/7 local Ohio sports and entertainment programming.
Founded in 1970, the Cleveland Cavaliers are an iconic team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Under Head Coach Kenny Atkinson and powered by a rising core of young talent, the Cavaliers continue to build on a legacy of excellence, cementing their place as one of the most exciting franchises in professional sports.
Rocket Arena is Northeast Ohio’s premier sports and entertainment facility. Home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland WNBA and the Cleveland Monsters, Rocket Arena also hosts major attractions, top-tier concert tours, family shows and signature events. Each year, Rocket Arena hosts more than 175 diverse ticketed events and 1,400 private events that draw nearly 1.5 million patrons to downtown Cleveland.
The WNBA’s 16th franchise is coming to Cleveland with its inaugural season tipping off in 2028. WNBA Cleveland will be operated by REG, play its home games at Rocket Arena and have their own dedicated practice facility, Cleveland Clinic Courts.
The Cleveland Monsters are the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, bringing high-octane hockey and fan-first fun to Rocket Arena. With a 2016 Calder Cup and league leading attendance, the Monsters are where future NHL stars rise and Cleveland fans roar.
The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ NBA G League affiliate, is a leader in both player development and fan engagement. The 2024-25 season marked the first of the team playing in the iconic Cleveland Public Hall, where the Charge electrified a venue steeped in more than a century of history.
Rock Entertainment Sports Network, a joint venture between Rock Entertainment Group and Gray Media, delivers 24/7 coverage of Ohio sports from high school rivalries to the pros. Available statewide, Rock Entertainment Sports Network is home for the athletes, stories and moments that define Ohio sports.
Cleveland Clinic Courts is where championship culture meets next-gen training. Outfitted with cutting-edge tech, recovery tools, and backed by Cleveland Clinic’s elite medical team, it’s one of the NBA’s top destinations for player development and care.
The Cavaliers Community Foundation’s 30th-anniversary “30 for 30” initiative delivered $900,000 to 30 local organizations and students in the 2024–25 season, with more than half of the funding dedicated to safe spaces for at-risk youth and families. This effort is part of a broader philanthropic legacy exceeding $26 million since 1993, exemplifying the Foundation’s enduring commitment to empowering and uplifting the Northeast Ohio community.
$1M Awarded to Local Organizations through Grants
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