Counting Down the Cavs: Breaking Down the Number 14 in Cavaliers History

With exactly two weeks until the start of the Cleveland Cavalier regular season, today we are going over the number 14 for the franchise. Starting off with the first guy who wore it in 1975.

Foots Walker - 1975-1980

He carved out a good 10 year career in the NBA with his first 6 years coming in Cleveland. Walker was not the team’s primary scorer in that 70s team alongside players like Austin Carr, Bingo Smith, and Nate Thurmond who are all Cleveland legends.

Walker is specifically known as the gritty playmaker of the team. In his best season in 1979 he recorded the very first triple-double for the Cleveland Cavaliers when it was being tracked. When it was officially called the triple-double, Walker became the first.

Bobby Phills - 1992-1997

Another athlete who played in Cleveland for a while is Bobby Phills. He played in 334 games over 6 seasons for the Cavs.

Phills was a major underdog on those 90s Cavs, in 92’ he was signed to a 10-day contract by the team and played his way into a permanent long-term roster.

His specialty was his lockdown perimeter defense and often picked up the opposing teams best player. In 1996, Phills gained some popularity when Michael Jordan said he was one of the toughest and relentless defenders he ever went against.

Ira Newbie - 2004-2008

Newbie is known in Cleveland, not for his play on the court, but his moments off of it. He played in 230 games over 5 seasons, but one of his most known moments came in the 2003/04 season.

After a lack of playing time, New bow confronted head coach Paul Silas and it led to a verbal altercation that had to be separated by players before it became physical.

He also had a moment in the 2007 playoffs when he wrote a protest letter about a geopolitical situation at the time and his courage to stand up for global human rights.

Danny Green - 2009,2023

Drafted by the Cavs in 2008, he was cut by the team after just 20 games and went on to have a legendary NBA career. He would win 3 NBA Championships with the Spurs, Raptors, and Lakers.

He then returned to the Cavs in 2023 before retiring as one of the best role players.

Sasha Kaun - 2016

Drafted in 2008, Kaun did not play NBA until 2016 when he won a championship with the Cavs in 2016 after playing in just 25 games.

Malik Newman - 2020-2022

The player who had the least amount of games for the team in the number 14 was Malik Newman.

In two different seasons, he played one game each season and scored a total of 10 points in those games. Most of Newman's time came in the G-League for the Cleveland Charge where he played 77 games.

The number 14 represented some longer term careers in Cleveland compared to 15 yesterday where it was a one off number for many players.

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