Zydrunas Ilgauskas career highlights
Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the Cleveland Cavaliers paid homage to their former “big man in the middle,” long time center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The man lovingly known as “Z” to Cavaliers fans had his number 11 retired and raised to the rafters alongside the jerseys of other Cavalier greats Austin Carr, Bobby “Bingo” Smith, Nate Thurmond, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, and Mark Price.
While Z will never be considered one of the greatest players in NBA history, he was indeed one of the best for the Cavaliers. He is the Cavaliers all-time leader in games played, rebounds, and blocked shots. He is also the 2nd all-time leading scorer for the Cavaliers, scoring more than 10,000 points in his career.
The stats alone are enough to validate Z as one of the Cavaliers all-time greats. They don’t tell you about the person that he is and how amazing it is that he was even able to achieve those accolades.
Z was drafted by the Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA draft with the 20th overall pick out of his native Lithuania. When he came to Cleveland, he barely spoke English and had to adjust to life as a rookie in the NBA, in a new city, and surrounded by a foreign culture.
While the cultural challenges alone would have been enough for most to deal with, Z’s biggest obstacle would come from his own two feet. The 1996-97 NBA season should have been Z’s first season, but a broken bone in his foot caused him to miss the entire season. This foot injury was the first in what would be 3 times that Z broke a bone in his feet in the first 4 years of his career.
The fact that Z was able to come back and play at all was amazing, let alone that he came back and became one of the best centers in the NBA. If I had been in Z’s position, I don’t know if I would have had the willpower to face the vast amount of rehab and surgeries that he faced, not to mention the emotional trauma that I’m sure he dealt with every time his own body betrayed him.
The ceremony the Cavaliers had for Z on Saturday night was nothing short of spectacular. The Cavaliers converted the basketball court into a 3D video projection screen that showed a montage of highlights from Z’s career, and he was saluted with speeches by former general manager Wayne Embry (who still can’t pronounce Ilgauskas) and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. Z was presented with a framed, worn jersey of his, along with having his number raised to the rafters.
The evening was not complete without a little controversy, though, as many of Z’s former teammates, coaches, and front office executives were in attendance, including former Cavaliers star and current Miami Heat forward Lebron James. While many in the media tried to make a huge deal about James’ return to Cleveland for the ceremony, he was there at the request of his good friend Z. James stayed in the background and made sure the spotlight stayed on Z as, after all, it was his night.
As a long time Cavaliers fan, I watched Z play for years and he was always one of my favorite players, not because he was the best, but because he gave his all every time. He never had a hint of trouble his entire career, nor was there ever a doubt he would be ready to play every game ‘til the final buzzer sounded. Z played the game the right way and, at times, he flashed an incredible pass or shot that would leave you saying “WOW!” Thanks for the great memories Z; you deserve that jersey in the rafters!