Cavs accompany Gibson to jersey retirement ceremony

HOUSTON -- Despite an overtime loss the night before and a flight to Houston in the wee hours, the Cleveland Cavaliers turned out in force Wednesday morning to see Daniel Gibson's No. 22 jersey retired at Jesse H. Jones High School.

Gibson averaged 25.5 points and four steals while guiding Jones to a 31-5 record and the 2004 Class 4A state championship, a season that ended with the 6-2 guard being named to the McDonald's All-America team. Gibson, who finished his four-year career at Jones with a city-record 3,102 points, had tears in his eyes while watching his jersey being raised to the rafters.

"I got real emotional," said Gibson, whose father, Byron, also wore No. 22 at Jones. "It was a great time and a great experience for me. It's something that I'll cherish for a long time."

Gibson also cherished the support of his teammates, most of whom turned out for the ceremony -- including LeBron James -- even though the team was late in arriving in Houston for Wednesday night's game against the Rockets.

"That means a lot," said Gibson, who played two seasons at the University of Texas before being taken by the Cavaliers in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. "That's the kind of teammates I have. We have a real family atmosphere here. We look out for each other like brothers, so it was great to see them there supporting me."

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said it didn't take much convincing to get Gibson's teammates out for the morning ceremony.

"It speaks volumes about how much the guys really like being around each other and how much the guys wanted to support him by going out there," Brown said. "That's something that you can't teach or you can't coach. It usually happens because of the kind of guys you have on your team, and we're fortunate enough to be that way."