All For Z

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On Saturday night, the Cavaliers organization and the city of Cleveland celebrated one of its cherished adopted sons – honoring the great Zydrunas Ilgauskas by retiring his uniform jersey No. 11, raising it to the rafters of The Q in a powerful and touching halftime ceremony.

The ceremony tipped off with the man who drafted Big Z almost two decades ago – Wayne Embry – who told the story of how he selected the skinny Lithuanian kid back in 1996. Flanked by his family, Ilgauskas humbly accepted the accolades, thanking his former teammates, coaches and general managers. Saturday night even saw both of the owners Z played for in attendance – Gordon Gund and Dan Gilbert, who introduced Ilgauskas to the sold-out crowd.

As he took the podium, Z thanked his wife Jennifer and his young sons, Deividas and Povilas, as well as his parents and sister and brother-in-law, who traveled from Lithuania to take in the ceremony. In one of the most touching moments of the night, after his son’s jersey was raised to the rafters, Ilgauaskas’ father got on his hands and knees, kissed the court, looked to the heavens and crossed himself twice.

For Z, who’s renowned for his reluctance for the spotlight, it was a surreal moment that he admits might not sink in for a while.

“It won’t completely set in until probably days or months or years from now when I take my kids to the game, or even my grandkids, and I see my jersey there and that number that will never be worn again,” said Z following the ceremony. “It’s been a really humbling experience for myself to know that this city and this organization feels that way about me.”

There was a question posed all week whether Ilgauskas might actually shed a tear on Saturday night, but Big Z joked he wasn’t able “because there was a time limit.”

Some of the dignitaries to appear for Saturday’s festivities were the aforementioned owners and Wayne Embry, along with legendary broadcaster Joe Tait and fellow legends like Nate Thurmond, Bingo Smith and Mr. Cavalier, Austin Carr. In a group near the Cavs bench was a plethora of Z’s former teammates – including Anthony Parker, Delonte West, Larry Hughes and LeBron James.

After Ilgauskas wrapped up his speech, he was greeted with a huge hug by Anderson Varejao, who had come out of the Cavaliers locker room to see his close friend’s big moment.

Ilgauskas spoke emotionally of the impromptu reunion.

“First they had me in a room by myself for ten minutes, and I was going crazy,” joked Big Z. “And then they brought in all the guys that were here – all the players and coaches, owners, general managers. And we had, like, ten minutes to hang out in the room. And Danny Ferry came to me and said, ‘You’re the only person who could bring this group together in one room.’

Z continued: “I feel like those people have touched my life so much more than I’ve touched theirs. It was special for them to take time out of their busy schedules and come here for this occasion.”

All week, cavs.com detailed Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ journey from the 1996 Draft, through devastating injuries and on to All-Star appearances and his rewriting of the Wine and Gold’s history books. He’s the franchise’s leader in blocked shots and rebounds. At one point it looked like he wouldn’t play past his rookie contract. Instead, he went on to play more games as a Cavalier than anyone else in team history.

And on Saturday night, he looked back on 12 years with a city and an organization that embraced him and pulled him though some tough times.

“I remember when I first broke my foot and I think it was ’97,” recalled Z. “I remember sitting in my apartment in Reserve Square almost with tears in my eyes because I didn’t think I was going to play again. Coming home, I had no college degree, I had no financial means, I had a mom and dad and sister to take care of. And you guys know as well as I do how quickly NBA guys get chewed up and spit out and never heard from them. I could have easily been just a statistic.

”So I consider myself really lucky – forget retiring your jersey, just to go through so many years and play so many games. So, as unlucky as I was at the front of my career, I think I caught some luck on the back end of it.”

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11 DayZ of Z: The Final Chapter

Less than a month after inserting himself as the Wine and Gold’s all-time leader in games-played, Zydrunas Ilgauskas was again rewriting the record books.

On December 2, 2009, Big Z passed his friend (and then-general manager) Danny Ferry – playing in his 724th game as a Cavalier. The Large Lithuanian was limited to just 29 games over a three-year span early in his career, but bounced back to play more games than anyone else in franchise history.

In March of the previous season, Ilgauskas topped the 10,000-point plateau, becoming just the fourth Cavalier in team history to do so. And on December 29, he upped the ante – passing another legendary franchise big man, Brad Daugherty – scoring point number 10,405 to pass the five-time All-Star.

Big Z would go on to score 211 more points before wrapping up his career in Cleveland. He is just one of four Cavaliers to have topped the 10K mark, joining Austin Carr (10,265), Daugherty (10,389) and LeBron James (15,251).

On the night he topped Daugherty, the Cavaliers were once again winners – and Big Z played a large part in the victory. On a night when neither team was especially sharp, the Hawks cut an 11-point Cleveland lead to just five late in the affair, but with less than a minute to play, Ilgauskas canned a three-pointer to seal the 95-84 win.

(During his 12-year career, Z attempted exactly 100 three-pointers, hitting 31. In the season [2009-10] that he passed Daugherty, he was actually 11-for-23 [.478] from beyond the arc.)

One member of the 10,000-point Cavaliers club is still playing ball and the other two have their numbers immortalized in the rafters at Quicken Loans Arena. On Saturday night, Big Z will make it three.

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11 DayZ of Z: Passing Brad

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In Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ first few years in Cleveland – fluctuating between fantastic play and career-threatening injuries – fans might have thought he’d still make his mark on the record books one day.

Ilgauskas was a big man who could score, rebound and defend – so it’s not shocking that he’d be one of the leaders on those lists. But it would have been hard to imagine that one of the records Big Z would eventually eclipse was for all-time games played by a Cavalier.

On December 2, 2009, the man who missed the majority of three seasons while battling back from foot injuries, played in his 724th career game, eclipsing Danny Ferry as the organization’s all-time leader.

After missing his first season –undergoing right foot surgery just a few months after being drafted – Big Z played in all 82 games during his “rookie” season. But between that season (1997-98) and the 2001-02 campaign, Ilgauskas was limited to just 29 total games, with another pair of surgeries – this time on his right foot – in between.

In 2001-02, Z made his return to the lineup, but of his 62 appearances, he started only 23, mostly coming off the bench in relief of Chris Mihm. But the next season, and every season he spent in Cleveland after, Ilgauskas never played less than 64 games. In fact, he started 81 games in back-to-back seasons in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

From the 2004-05 campaign through the ’06-07 season, the Large Lithuanian started 78 contests per season. He started 73 and 65 contests in the next two seasons and came off the bench in 2009-10, as Shaquille O’Neal took over the starting center spot.

On that early December day, in a 17-point win over the Phoenix Suns at The Q, Big Z finally did break the record – suiting up for the 724th time as a Cavalier. As he had throughout most of that season, Z came off the bench – going 6-for-10 from the floor to lead Cleveland with 14 points to go with six boards and a steal.

“That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced in my life and also the closest I’ve come to tears on the basketball floor,” said Z following the sold-out standing ovation he received when he entered the game in the second quarter.

That season would be Ilgauskas’ last with the Wine and Gold, but not before he would extend his games-played mark to 771 – 48 more than Danny Ferry and 51 more than Bingo Smith. The Cavaliers closest active player is, again, Z’s close friend Anderson Varejao, with 517 games.

Big Z broke many records in his 12 years as a Cavalier – but for all the boards grabbed and points scored – maybe none is as impressive as the games-played mark, a testament to his commitment, professionalism and perseverance.

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11 DayZ of Z: An All-Time Cavalier

The Cleveland Cavaliers will retire the #11 jersey of Cavs legend Žydrūnas Ilgauskas this Saturday, March 8th at Quicken Loans Arena when the team takes on the New York Knicks. In honor of this special day for “Big Z” and the Cavs, FOX Sports Ohio will air a special one-hour Access Cavaliers. The show will debut following the Cavs game this Saturday with replays throughout the following weeks.

The one-hour Access Cavaliers special is called Žydrūnas Ilgauskas – From A to Z. Mike Snyder sits down with Žydrūnas for an in-depth one-on-one interview covering his life and career with the Cavs. From his early days in Lithuania, through his injury struggles and his triumphs in the NBA, to why Cleveland, Ohio has become home for him and his family, this show is a must-see for Cavs fans and for those who love the big man in the middle.

The jersey retirement on Saturday will be featured on the next Access Cavaliers episode premiering on March 21st.

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Special Hour-Long Access Cavaliers Honors Ilgauskas

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When it comes to all-time blocked shots leaders in Cavaliers history, there are three great big men and there’s everybody else. At the top of that list is the man the organization will honor this Saturday night when his uniform No. 11 is raised to the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas established himself as the best shot-blocking big in franchise history on March 22, 2009 – one day after scoring his 10,000th career point in a win over Atlanta.

In the Atlanta game, Big Z reached the 10,000-point plateau in rather pedestrian fashion, canning a first-half free throw. But Big Z went all-out in breaking the blocked shot benchmark, previously held by Hot Rod Williams.

Against New Jersey in the Meadowlands, Ilgauskas led both teams with four swats – doubling the Nets’ total that afternoon. On the night, Z went 9-for-14 from the floor for 18 points to go with six boards. The Cavaliers would go on to win that game, 96-88 – their ninth straight victory.

Those four blocks put Big Z at 1,202 for his career. And he’d eventually go on to sit atop the all-time list at 1,269. Hot Rod Williams finished with an even 1,200 and Larry Nance – whose uniform No. 22 was retired in 1995 – sits in third with 1,087. The next player down is LeBron James with 482. In terms of active Cavaliers, Anderson Varejao is creeping up the list, currently with 374.

Ilgauskas came into that record-breaking game on a roll, averaging 15.8 points and 6.5 boards per contest in the previous four games – and notching double-figure scoring and five more blocks in his next three. The Cavaliers would go on to run their win streak to 12 games before falling to the Wizards in Washington one week later.

As for Big Z, he started every game for the remainder of 2008-09 season (except the final affair to prep for the postseason) – swatting 17 more shots along the way.

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11 DayZ of Z: Block Party

As the Wine and Gold prepare to honor Zydrunas Ilgauskas by retiring his jersey #11, cavs.com takes a look back at some of his most memorable moments.

In light of Z's big night, we ask YOU, the fans…

Which Zydrunas Ilgauskas' moment is your favorite?

Is your favorite moment not mentioned below? CLICK HERE to get into the discussion and tell us YOUR favorite Z memory.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ long, proud journey with the Cavaliers dates back to June 26, 1996, when he was selected with the 20th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

The then-unknown Ilgauskas was tabbed eight picks after Cleveland’s first first-rounder – Wright State center Vitaly Potapenko – who was taken at No. 12.

Aside from the fact that he was 7-3, not much was known about Ilgauskas when he was taken with the 20th pick. He hailed from Kaunas, Lithuania – the birthplace of his idol, Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis. Before being drafted in 1996, Big Z had averaged 20.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game for the Atletas Basketball Club in Kaunas. Read Full Story

Like his Draft classmate – Vitaly Potapenko – the season before, Ilgauskas was selected to play in the Schick Rookie Challenge at Madison Square Garden. But he wasn’t alone in representing the Cavaliers. He was joined by 1998 Draft picks – Brevin Knight and Cedric Henderson. (Derek Anderson was forced to miss the game with an injury.) The East squad also included Chauncey Billups and Tracy McGrady.

Of course, back in the late ‘90s, scores hadn’t yet gone through the roof during All-Star Weekend and the two young squads actually battled through a defensive exhibition. The West had cut the East’s lead to three, 83-80, with 22 seconds to play, but Tim Thomas’ free throws iced the 85-80 win for the East.

The trio of Cavaliers represented Cleveland quite well. Henderson finished with 14 points and Knight led the East with eight assists. But Ilgauskas was even better – finishing 8-of-10 from the floor for 18 points to go with seven boards and a pair of blocked shots to take home MVP honors. Read Full Story

In 2002-03, Ilgauskas returned to his rookie form, upping his scoring average to 17. 2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He missed the first contest of the year, but in his second game went for 17 points and 22 boards against Phoenix and it was apparent that Big Z was back.

He notched double-figures in every game but five and had a dozen double-doubles before the midseason break and was deservedly named to his first All-Star Game, joining the East squad in Atlanta.

Ilgauskas played 81 games the following season as well, putting up solid numbers once again. And the following year, as the Wine and Gold’s revival was beginning to take shape, Z found himself back in the midseason classic – going into the All-Star Break after notching 30 points and 11 boards against in a big road win over the Lakers.

In the 2005 All-Star Game, Ilgauskas was joined by teammate LeBron James and saw more action than in his first go-round. The game was played in Denver and the East took the 125-115 victory, with Allen Iverson taking MVP honors. Big Z played 17 minutes, going 5-for-8 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe for 12 points to go with seven boards and a pair of blocked shots. Read Full Story

On December 9, 2008, the Cavaliers and their starting center both shared a record-breaking night. For Ilgauskas, it was eclipsing another mark in team history – and one that itself might never be eclipsed.

In the second quarter of a 114-94 home blowout over Toronto, Big Z grabbed a Jason Kapono miss to pass Brad Daugherty on the Cavaliers all-time rebounding list with 5,228 boards.

On the night, the two-time All-Star finished with a rather pedestrian line – 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and six rebounds – before getting the fourth quarter off with most of Cleveland’s starters.

The reason Z and Co. got (another) fourth quarter off was because of the team record the Cavaliers set that night – becoming the first squad to win nine straight games all by more than a dozen points. Read Full Story

Listen to Joe Tait's call of Z's record breaking rebound.

The 2008-09 season was one for the record books – for both the Cavaliers and their longtime center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Earlier that year, Ilgauskas set the all-time franchise mark in rebounding, grabbing his 5,228th career board on December 9 in a home win over Toronto. That win was the Cavaliers’ fourth straight 20-point win over an opponent, tying an NBA mark set by the 1995-96 Bulls.

The Wine and Gold were still cruising along when Ilgauskas hit another career milestone later that season – becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to break the 10,000-point plateau – joining Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty and his then-teammate, LeBron James.

With 7:21 remaining in the first quarter of the 102-96 victory against the Hawks on March 21, 2009, Zydrunas Ilgauskas continued to solidify his legacy – scoring his fifth point to join the quartet of Cavaliers who’d already topped the 10K mark. Read Full Story

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Cavs Nation Poll Question: Fav Z Moment

Both A.C. and Daugherty fought through some injury issues to get to the milestone, but Big Z was limited to just 29 games over a three-year span – 1998-2001. When he returned, Z averaged double-digit scoring for the next eight years of his career.

On the night the Large Lithuanian broke the 10,000-point barrier, the Cavaliers topped the Hawks at The Q to improve their mark to 56-13 on the season and 32-1 at home – including 16-2 after the All-Star Break.

With 7:21 remaining in the first quarter of the 102-96 victory, Zydrunas Ilgauskas continued to solidify his legacy – scoring his fifth point to join the quartet of Cavaliers who’d already topped the 10K mark.

“Obviously, if I had not missed so many years because of injuries, I would have had more points,” said the two-time All-Star. “I consider myself lucky to still be playing basketball, so I’ll take this one and not ask for too much.”

Big Z would go on to scored 616 more points with the Wine and Gold – good for second-best in team history behind James (15,251) ahead of Daugherty (10,389) and Carr (10,265). Mark Price finished 457 points shy of the 10,000-point mark.

For a guy whose career could have stopped at 1,215 career points after a difficult start, Big Z persevered to again rewrite the Cavaliers history books.

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11 DayZ of Z: Big Man Makes His Point

When you look at the list of Cavaliers all-time leading rebounders, what might be most impressive about Zydrunas Ilgauskas leading the pack is how close some franchise heavyweights aren’t.

The reason Z and Co. got (another) fourth quarter off was because of the team record the Cavaliers set that night – becoming the first squad to win nine straight games all by more than a dozen points. That night’s win over Toronto was the Cavaliers ninth straight win and part of the Wine and Gold’s 18-3 start, easily the best in franchise history. The win was also one of four straight games that the Cavs had won by more than 20 points, something only done by one team – the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who did it twice.

Z’s second-quarter rebound wasn’t one of his more demonstrative moments, snagging the record-breaking board late in the second quarter. Afterward, the beloved big man received a standing ovation from 20,000 strong at The Q.

“It felt great,” said Z. “It was everything I anticipated. It’s been a long road, but I enjoyed it and I cherish it. After I’m done playing, it’ll be one of the top moments that I’ll remember from my career here.”

The Large Lithuanian would go on to grab 676 more rebounds with the Cavaliers – and his mark now stands at 5,904. After Daugherty, the next Cavaliers in line are Hot Rod Williams, 1,235 boards behind Z, and LeBron James, who’s 2,034 behind. Z’s close friend, Anderson Varejao, continues to climb through the record books, but at 4,036, still has a ways to go.

For Z, it was another Wine and Gold all-time record broken –culminating a career that almost ended before it truly began.

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11 DayZ of Z: Chairman of the Boards

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