There hasn’t been much Cavs history tied to No. 16, but the list does have a few different flavors: a steady veteran scorer, a brief stop, and one player who became a real Cleveland favorite.
Johnny Davis was the first to really make a mark in the number after the franchise’s first 15 years went by without anyone wearing it. By the time he got to Cleveland, he was near the end of his career.
Davis had already been part of an NBA championship with Portland in 1977 as a rookie, and he later settled in as a reliable rotation scorer. In Cleveland, he played 115 games and averaged 11 points.
Then came Gary Alexander, whose run in No. 16 was much shorter. He appeared in 11 games during his lone NBA season, scoring 19 points and collecting 15 rebounds. At 6-foot-7, he gave the Cavs a small sample before moving on.
The longest and most memorable stretch for the number belonged to Cedi Osman. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round in 2015 and traded to Cleveland on draft night for Tyus Jones, Osman had already spent two seasons in Turkey before arriving with the Cavs in LeBron James’ final season in Cleveland.
He quickly won people over. Osman became a fan favorite for the energy he brought off the bench and for always seeming to be first in line to celebrate a big play. LeBron James took to him, too, and has said Osman is one of his favorite teammates ever and someone he has deep respect for.
Osman believes one moment helped seal that bond. In their rookie season, he and James accidentally collided, and James sprained his ankle. Osman felt that was the point where he earned James’ love and respect.
After James left for Los Angeles, Osman’s game grew. He moved into the starting lineup, put together the best season of his career, and held down the starting small forward job for the next two years. When he was shifted back to the bench, he still filled the same steady role, even as the Cavs drafted Darius Garland and Evan Mobley and he took on more of a veteran presence.
By 2023, Osman was the last remaining player from the 2018 Finals team and had become the “Junkyard Dog” on a Cavs squad built around defense and chemistry. Every time he stepped to the foul line, the crowd gave him MVP chants.
His Cleveland run eventually ended in a trade to San Antonio that brought the Cavs Max Strus. Osman’s NBA career was over after that, and he is now playing in Greece.
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