The Cleveland Cavaliers first joined the NBA in 1970-71. They have played 54 seasons since, winning 46.5 percent of their games and making the playoffs 23 times. In that span, 443 players have worn a Cavaliers uniform.
The league requires each player to have a number on that uniform, from 00 to 99. Which Cavs player was the best one to wear each number? Let’s walk through the entire history of the team to answer that question, from Jae Crowder to Kevin Love.
Scrub and one-offs
Not many players choose a number above 50, so this group was slim pickings. Each of these players was the only one to wear each number, with 99 being the sole exception in this group.
#99: Jae Crowder
Crowder’s stint in Cleveland was not an overly pleasant one, and he was shipped out of town in favor of better reinforcements for LeBron’s last Finals run with the Cavs.
#90: Drew Gooden
A journeyman power forward who played for 10 different teams, Drew Gooden played the most games (292) for the Cavaliers, averaging 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
#89: Lou Amundson
Amundson somehow played 10 seasons in the NBA despite never averaging more than 4.7 points per game in any of them. He was in Cleveland for 12 games in 2014-15.
#85: Baron Davis
The Cavaliers took on Baron Davis and his salary for an unprotected first-round pick that became the No. 1 overall pick, and subsequently Kyrie Irving. Davis sloughed through 15 forgettable games to close out that 2010-11 season.
#81: Jose Calderon
The Cavs added Calderon as a veteran point guard for the 2017-18 season and he played a minor role on a team that stumbled through the year before fighting back to the NBA Finals.
#53: Alex Kirk
The seven-footer joined the Cavaliers in 2014-15 out of New Mexico and played just 14 minutes in five appearances.
#51: Michael Doleac
A journeyman center who was in Cleveland for 42 games in 2001-02, Doleac had a decent jumper and stuck around the league for 10 years altogether.