Cleveland Cavaliers to retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas Jersey

On Saturday, March 8th, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, one of the most beloved players to ever wear a Cavs uniform, will have his #11 jersey retired and raised to hang in the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena alongside other Cavalier greats. It will become a permanent reflection of what the big “man in the middle” with a big heart has meant to the franchise and Cleveland.

As the Cavs host the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m., the night will celebrate and honor the 7-foot-3 inch Lithuanian center who was drafted by the Cavaliers in the first-round of the 1996 draft and went on to play 12 seasons for the Wine & Gold. Fans are encouraged to get to their seats early to see the one-time-only player introduction video specially produced for the occasion. Through a unique editing process, the video will bring together yesterday and today’s Cavaliers in the first of many not-to-miss moments during the evening. The Q’s doors will open at 5:30 p.m., two hours prior to tipoff.

In a spectacular presentation of techno-artistry, the halftime ceremony will be one of the most memorable player tributes to ever take place at The Q as Z’s legendary career is captured in vivid 3-D video imagery projected on the Cavs basketball court. Then, watching with his family by his side, and in presence of fans and special guests that span his career, Zydrunas Ilgauskas’#11 will take its place next to Austin Carr, Nate Thurmond, Bobby “Bingo” Smith, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and the former “Voice of the Cavs,” Joe Tait.

Ilgauskas, who is currently the Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Cavaliers , has stamped his name throughout the Cavaliers record books and was a core part of some of the most successful teams in Cavs history. While ranking in the top five of numerous statistical categories, Z is the all-time franchise leader in games played (771), offensive rebounds (2,336), total rebounds (5,904) and blocks (1,269) while ranking second in points scored (10,616).

The Cavaliers chose Zydrunas with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft. Ilgauskas logged career averages of 13.0 points on .476 shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 27.2 minutes in 843 games (724 starts).

The 7-foot-3 inch former center earned NBA All-Star honors on two occasions (2003, 2005) and played in six postseasons with the Cavaliers, including playing a major role on the Cavaliers teams that reached at least the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs in five consecutive seasons (2006-2010), which included the franchise’s first appearance in the NBA Finals in 2007. “Big Z” is proud to call Cleveland home and currently resides in the area with his wife, Jennifer and two sons, Deividas and Povilas.

- Cleveland Cavaliers Press Release

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