Cleveland Cavaliers Creating Space Outside Arena to Honor 2016 Championship Team

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were crowned NBA champions for the first time in their franchise's history ten years ago. The 2016 NBA Finals seems like it was just yesterday.
The memories of LeBron James pouncing on a vulnerable Andre Iguodala to swat away his layup attempt is still fresh in the memory of Cavs fans watching at the time.
Kyrie Irving's stepback three-point shot over Stephen Curry is a moment in time that will be replayed in NBA documentaries and compilations for decades to come. This period of time was truly a magical time for the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio.
The city had never experienced anything similar to what the 2016 Cavs did for Cleveland. The star duo of Mark Price and Brad Daugherty from the late 1980s and early 1990s got far into the playoffs routinely, but never into the NBA Finals, largely because of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
The Cavaliers toppled the mighty record-breaking 73-win Golden State Warriors in 2016 and now the organization is keeping that memory alive in a huge way.

A professional-sized basketball court
Plans to advance development of "Meet Me Here" Park went through City of Cleveland this past Friday. Developers are speeding up plans to revamp the park in order to have it ready by the 10th anniversary of the championship victory later this summer.
The #Cavs have unveiled development plans for a space on the corner of E 4th St. and Huron Rd. to commemorate the Cavs 2016 NBA Championship.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) March 10, 2026
The project will feature a professional-size basketball court, seating, active greenspace and artwork. pic.twitter.com/aRwPLnwGjA
The space where this development will be built is in Downtown Cleveland. A NBA-sized basketball court will dominate the space, but benches for spectators and artwork is slated to be included as well. The design of the court will be based on the 2016 NBA championship victory. There's room for additional mobile hoops to be inserted for specific community events.
The space is temporary and has room to grow
The current plans unveiled last Friday are set to be a temporary solution due to the 10th anniversary approaching. There could be more grand plans to revamp the surrounding area beyond the one professional-sized basketball court. The current space will feature grass areas, trees, and a fence to block basketball from wildly rolling into the street.
A nearby parking garage will also hang a banner with LeBron James famous "Cleveland, this is for you" quote after winning game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals.
This development is one of many recent advancements geared toward building up the surrounding areas of Rocket Arena. A riverfront park that supports residences is being developed near Rocket Arena.
The Cavaliers are opening a brand new practice, training, and sports medicine facility in 2027 called the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center. On top of these developments and the new basketball court, a riverfront amphitheater fit to seat about 6,200 people is set to open around 2028. Cleveland is developing right before the eyes of nearby residents and it's the consistent success of the Cavaliers that have contributed heavily to these possibilities.
