Cleveland Cavaliers to Retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas Number 11 Jersey – NBA Update
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Lithuanian big man, who served the Cleveland Cavaliers for 15 years, is all set to be bestowed with an honour in lieu of his services to the franchise.
The 7ft 3in centre, who wore the number 11 jersey for the Cavaliers, will see his jersey being retired and hung from the rafters. Zydrunas had been a loyal servant of the Cavs till the last year when he followed LeBron James in
the Miami Heat. He had been with the franchise through thick and thin, be it the depleted condition of the team or his own personal injuries.
Zydrunas was drafted by Cleveland in 1996 as the 20th overall pick. He soon suffered a number of foot injuries that at one point even threatened the big man’s career. He had his last operation in 2000 after which his
career started to take an upturn.
He became an All Star in 2002, despite the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers had a pathetic season. The following year, Cavaliers drafted LeBron James and things suddenly started to change at the Quicken Loans Arena. The Lithuanian
soon formed a formidable partnership with James.
Ilgauskas recently followed LeBron to the Miami Heat in pursuit of an NBA title. There has been a stark contrast in the reaction of the Cavs fans toward the two individuals. LeBron went on to become the most hated player in Cleveland,
whereas, Zydrunas is going to have his jersey retired.
The difference obviously lies in their service to the club. Zydrunas spent his entire career with Cavs. During his initial years, he was always on the bench and it seemed rather unlikely that he would ever come off it. But, he
always showed respect and never complained about not being given a chance.
Finally his perseverance bore fruit as he managed to cement his place in not only the Cleveland arena but in the hearts of the Cavs fans. He left Cleveland at the twilight of his career and is set to retire from the Miami Heat
as soon as the lockout ends. LeBron James on the other hand left the Cavs when he was their only true torch bearer.
It has been reported that the fresh Cleveland draft, Kyrie Irving, asked for the number 11 shirt, one that Ilgauskas wore, but was told that the jersey had been retired and he would have to choose another one.
The big centre averaged around 13 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game in his time with Cleveland and ended up being the player with the most caps, blocks and rebounds in the history of the Cavaliers.
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