In their 54-year history, the Cleveland Cavaliers have selected the following players in the National Basketball Association Draft.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer | First Overall NBA Draft Pick | Selected for an NBA All-Star Game |
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. Since 1994, the Cavs have played home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, which is shared with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Dan Gilbert has owned the team since March 2005.
Bradley Lee Daugherty, nicknamed "Big Dukie" and "Hooch", is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and professionally with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Vitalii Mykolayovych Potapenko is a Ukrainian former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Wright State University and was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA draft, also the last pick before Kobe Bryant, believed by many as the best player from the 1996 draft. Nicknamed "The Ukraine Train", he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB.
Robert "Bingo" Smith was an American professional basketball player. He played for the San Diego Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the San Diego Clippers.
Albert Kedrick Brown is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Born and raised in Zachary, Louisiana, Brown played college basketball at Okaloosa-Walton Community College, where he was a first team NJCAA All-America selection as a sophomore.
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 34th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. In the years following their 1998 first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Cavaliers dropped to the bottom of the league and became a perennial entrant in the annual NBA draft lottery. The franchise's freefall bottomed out during the 2002–03 season, as the Cavs fell to a 17–65 record, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the league's worst.
The 2004–05 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 35th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Cleveland, Ohio. During the offseason, the Cavaliers acquired Drew Gooden from the Orlando Magic, and Eric Snow from the Philadelphia 76ers. In his second season, expectations were high for LeBron James as the Cavaliers hoped for a playoff berth. Through the first half of the season, the Cavs held a 30–21 record at the All-Star Break as James was selected to his first All-Star selection in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game along with Zydrunas Ilgauskas. However, as March began, the Cavaliers were unable to upgrade at the trading deadline as the team went on a six-game losing streak. Head coach Paul Silas was fired and replaced by interim Brendan Malone. LeBron was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and finished in sixth place in MVP voting.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. In the 2002 NBA draft, the Cavaliers selected Dajuan Wagner from the University of Memphis with the sixth pick, and selected Carlos Boozer out of Duke University with the 34th pick in the second round. During the off-season, the team acquired Darius Miles from the Los Angeles Clippers. After a 2–2 start to the season, the Cavaliers suffered a dreadful 15-game losing streak between November and December. They would continue to struggle as head coach John Lucas was replaced with Keith Smart after an 8–34 start. At midseason, Tyrone Hill was released to free agency and re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, while Bimbo Coles was also released and signed with the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 17–65 record, last place in the Eastern Conference and tied for the worst record in the NBA along with the Denver Nuggets. It was also the team's worst record since the 1981–82 season.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. For the third consecutive year, the Cavaliers had the eighth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected high school center DeSagana Diop. During the off-season, the team re-acquired former Cavs forward Tyrone Hill and Jumaine Jones from the Philadelphia 76ers, acquired Ricky Davis from the Miami Heat, and signed free agent Bryant Stith. Under new head coach John Lucas, the Cavaliers got off to a horrible start losing nine of their first eleven games, then suffered a 12-game losing streak in January. Hill only played just 26 games due to sore back spasms, and Diop failed to live up to expectations only playing just 18 games due to knee, ankle and foot injuries. The Cavs lost 50 games for the third straight season, finishing 7th in the Central Division with a 29–53 record.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the 20th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. During the off-season, the Cavaliers acquired second-year guard Steve Kerr from the Phoenix Suns. The Cavaliers got off to a slow start losing their first four games, on their way to a mediocre 10–16 start. Early into the season, the team traded Ron Harper to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for top draft pick Danny Ferry and Reggie Williams; Ferry was selected by the Clippers as the second overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, but refused to play for them as he went to play overseas in Italy. At midseason, the team traded Chris Dudley to the New Jersey Nets, and released Williams to free agency. The Cavaliers struggled playing below .500 for the first half of the season, holding a 21–25 record at the All-Star break, but finished it on a strong note winning their final six games. The team finished the season with a 42–40 record, finishing 4th in the Central Division, as they advanced to the playoffs.
The 1987-88 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 18th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers acquired Larry Nance from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for top draft pick Kevin Johnson in a midseason trade, and finished 4th in the Central Division with a 42–40 record. Second-year star Brad Daugherty was selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game. Second-year guard Ron Harper played just 57 games due to injury. In the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers lost in five games to the Chicago Bulls.
The 1970–71 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the inaugural season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 15–67 record in their first season, finishing last in the Central Division and Eastern Conference. John Johnson was named an All-Star, the first in franchise history.
The 1972–73 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the third season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 32–50 record, finishing last in the Central Division and 6th Eastern Conference. This was the 2nd consecutive year with a total win increase. Lenny Wilkens led the team in assists and was named an All-Star.
The 1973–74 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the fourth season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 29–53 record, finishing last in the Central Division and 7th Eastern Conference. Austin Carr was named an All-Star and set the team record for points per game. The Cavaliers played, and won, their last game in Cleveland Arena.
The 1970 NBA expansion draft was the fifth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 11, 1970, so that the newly founded Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers could acquire players for the 1970–71 season. Buffalo, Cleveland, and Portland were awarded the expansion teams on February 6, 1970. Houston was also awarded a franchise, but the group backing the team was unable to come up with the US$750,000 down payment on the US$3.7 million entrance fee that was required before the 1970 NBA draft. The Braves later underwent two relocations, moving to San Diego in 1978 and changing their name from the Braves to the Clippers, and then relocating to Los Angeles in 1984. They are currently known as the Los Angeles Clippers.
Cedi Osman is a Turkish professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the small forward position.
The Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The teams have played each other since the Cavaliers joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970, but the rivalry didn't begin in earnest until the Bulls drafted Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in 1984. After Jordan would go on to the Washington Wizards and eventually retire, the rivalry died down, but when Cleveland picked LeBron James with the first selection in 2003, the rivalry heated up again.
The 2020–21 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They did not make it to the playoffs for the third season in a row.
The 2021–22 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 52nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season for the league began in the month of October and featured the typical 82-game schedule, returning to its typical format. In the previous season, the league started in the month of December and featured only 72 games due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Cavaliers had the third pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and selected Evan Mobley out of the University of Southern California. The NBA announced that the All-Star Game will be played at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, which was held February 20, 2022. The Cavaliers matched their previous win total of 22 on January 7, 2022, improving to 22–17. The Cavaliers clinched their first winning season without LeBron James since 1998 and their first winning season since 2018 with a 107–101 win over the Orlando Magic on March 28, 2022. The Cavaliers qualified for the postseason, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after losing to both the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament.