Counting Down the Cavs: Breaking Down the Number 15 in Cavaliers History

15 days until the beginning of the Cleveland Cavaliers 2026/27 regular season.

Feb 21, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anthony Bennett (15) watches a free throw next to Toronto Raptors forward John Salmons (25) at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Cavaliers 98-91. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As we count down to the Cavs tipoff we reach the number 15. This number has a long history of short times in Cleveland. Not a single player to wear the number has played more than two seasons except for one guy.

The first player to wear number 15 spent three years with the team.

Dave Sorenson - 1971-1973

Starting with the first guy to wear number 15 is Dave Sorenson. An Ohio native, born in Findlay, Ohio and played at Ohio State. He was then drafted by the Cavs in their first NBA season and played 165 games in Cleveland.

He is the longest tenured number 15, nobody has played more than this man. In his time in Cleveland, he averaged 8.8 points per game.

Roger Phegley - 1981-1982

The next player to put on the 15 for more than 100 games was Phegley who played the best basketball of his career in Cleveland. In 109 games he averaged 13 points a game.

Martynas Andriuškevičius - 2006

Cleveland gets the record for the longest name in NBA history. Martynas played only 6 games for the Cavs and did not score a single point, but his name alone gets a mention today because it is the longest ever.

Jamario Moon - 2010-2011

The next guy who got at least 100 games in for the Cavs was Jamario Moon. He played two seasons in Cleveland and was a high flying fan favorite role player while on the team.

He was famously quoted as saying it felt like a “funeral” when LeBron made his decision on moving to South Beach to play for the Heat. While one of his other well known moments was when he was traded to the Clippers with Mo Williams for what would become the pick that got Cleveland Kyrie Irving.

Moon played 101 games for the franchise and averaged 5 points a game.

Anthony Bennett - 2014

An infamous player in NBA history, Antony Bennett was drafted number 1 overall by the Cavs in the 2013 NBA Draft. Considered a draft bust now in the history of basketball.

Bennett played just one season for the Cavs before they moved on from their number 1 pick when they traded him and another number 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, to get Kevin Love.

He played in only 52 Cavs games and averaged 4.2 points a game. His legacy in the NBA will unfortunately not be remembered amongst the best.

Meleek Thomas - Current

He has not played an official NBA game yet, but with how his Summer League went he is looking to be one of the most tenured 15s in franchise history if he lives up to the hype he had over the summer.

It looks like he may have some decent play time in his rookie season with a stacked backcourt he will need to play his best basketball to get a chance.