Next week marks the start of the 2026/27 season for the Cavs, and the countdown to the year ahead comes with a look back at number 8 in Cleveland history - a jersey worn by 16 players dating back to 1982 and the Ted Stepien Era.
The first known Cavalier to wear it was a player drafted in 1974 who landed in Cleveland in 1981 after Ted Stepien made what was, at the time, an eye-popping offer: a 5 year $1 million contract that his former team, the Kansas City Kings, could not match. He spent one season with the Cavs before being traded to the Celtics the next year, during a peak stretch when he was averaging almost 20 points a game.
Lonnie Shelton’s time in Cleveland may not have been defined by flashy production, but he left his mark in more memorable ways. He showed up in headlines during his Cavs stint, including a story Dominique Wilkins has told about Shelton being the target of an armed robbery and successfully taking down the robbers. Then came the “Valentines Day Brawl” against the Nets at Richfield Coliseum in 1985.
After that, number 8 became something of a revolving door for a long stretch. Between 1986 and 2014, it was tough to find anyone who held onto the jersey for long, and in the mid-2000s there were plenty of brief stops from players trying to help LeBron James.
Eventually, the number found a more lasting home with Matthew Dellavedova. For the third time in the countdown, Delly makes an appearance, and he’s the player most closely tied to number 8.
He changed to the jersey after his rookie season and wore it during his famous Finals performances against Stephen Curry. A lockdown defender, he made life difficult for Curry and didn’t exactly love the attention that followed for “locking down” the unanimous MVP while every major sports outlet focused on him.
Dellavedova’s 182 games in number 8 make him the longest tenured Cavalier to wear it.
Jordan Clarkson also spent time in the jersey during the second post-LeBron era. He came off the bench and gave Cleveland instant scoring, averaging 16 points in 138 games without starting.
The latest player to take over number 8 arrived this offseason to add defense for a Cavs team that clearly needs it. Through the preseason, he has already shown value by helping when Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are on the court and chasing down whoever the offensive threat happens to be. He also came in after signing that contract extension, so the early signs point to a potentially long stay in Cleveland.
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For Cavaliers fans, the bigger point is less about facial hair than the reminder that Harden is still very much settled into the stage of his career where identity matters as much as role. He indicated the beard will remain with him throughout his playing days, leaving any real decision on it for later, once the cameras are no longer part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Atkinson Enters Season With One Cavaliers Problem He Must Solve
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The bigger pressure point is not just internal fit, but the standard this group is carrying into October and beyond. Cleveland is still trying to show it can push deeper in the playoffs after past postseason stalls, and the opening schedule will not make the early evaluation any easier, with several quality opponents waiting in the first 10 games. [Read more 🡒]