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Where are the 2016 Cavs now? 10 years after the best Finals everLeBron James and the Cavaliers broke a 52-year title drought for Cleveland when they won the title in 2016. Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesBrian WindhorstClose
ESPN Senior Writer
ESPN Staff Writer
BLOCKED BY JAMES!! is 10 years old.
The iconic call from ESPN’s Mike Breen when LeBron James pulled off a stunning chasedown block of Andre Iguodala with 1:51 left and the score tied in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals was on June 19, 2016, a day that has become an instant holiday in Cleveland.
A few moments later, when Breen uttered “[Kyrie] Irving puts it up…it’s GOOD!” the Cleveland Cavaliers had the winning points to outlast Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
The 2016 Finals was the peak of one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, one that included the Warriors’ record 73 regular-season wins and Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour, which culminated with his 60-point regular-season finale.
The playoffs included the Warriors coming back from 3-1 down in the Western Conference finals, including a 41-point career-defining showing from Klay Thompson in Game 6, to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And, of course, then there was Cleveland, becoming the first NBA team to come back from 3-1 down in the Finals.
A decade later, just where are those 2016 Cavs? What have they been up to?
Well, other than playing golf in Scotland, part of a European 10-year reunion some members of the team planned to celebrate the occasion.
What he did then: James was the first and remains the only player to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) during the Cavs’ 2016 postseason run.
His chase-down effort to thwart a certain layup from Iguodala with the score tied at 89-89 late in Game 7 in Golden State will live on forever in Cleveland sports lore simply as “The Block.”
And his celebratory interview with ESPN’s Doris Burke after the final buzzer erased a 53-year title drought for The Land remains iconic. “Cleveland! This is for youuuuuuuu!”
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What he has done since: Los Angeles has been James’ home for the past eight seasons, and he has continued to make NBA history. He became the first player to win Finals MVP with three different franchises after the Lakers won the title in 2020; he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer in 2023; he became part of the first father-son pair to play in a game as teammates after L.A. drafted Bronny James in 2024; and he has now had the longest NBA career by playing a record-setting 23rd season in 2025-26.
Where is he now: James, now 41, made the All-Star team for the 22nd straight time and lifted L.A. to a first-round postseason victory over the Houston Rockets with the Lakers reeling from injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
He is one of the best available free agents this summer, if he decides to return for a 24th season.
What he did then: OG Anunoby’s winning tip-in during Game 4 of the NBA Finals earlier this month brought Irving’s equally epic go-ahead 3 over Curry with 53 seconds remaining in Game 7 back into the NBA conversation.
After a knee injury in Game 1 of the 2015 Finals cost him the rest of the series, Irving was a vital member of the championship team at just 24 years old.
He and James remain the only teammates in league history to score 40-plus points in the same Finals game when they both dropped 41 on the road in Game 5 to start the Cavs’ 3-1 comeback.
What he has done since: After three straight Finals appearances as James’ running mate, Irving requested a trade in the summer of 2017 and was dealt to the Boston Celtics.
After making the All-Star team in four out of six seasons with the Cavs, he was an All-Star five of his next eight seasons with Boston, the Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks.
Brooklyn’s 2021 championship hopes were dashed in a classic seven-game, second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, when Irving sat out the last three games because of a sprained ankle. He got back to the Finals in 2024 with the Mavs, who lost to the Celtics in five games.
Where is he now: Irving sat out the Mavs’ 2025-26 season because of a torn left ACL. Now 34, Irving will pair with 2026 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg much the same way James paired with him a decade ago.
What he did then: Love averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds that season as the team’s gritty power forward. He scored more than 20 points in six playoff games and had 14 rebounds in the defining Game 7 and, famously, was able to stop Curry on a vital late-game possession.
What he has done since: Love has played 10 more seasons in the NBA, making two more All-Star teams with the Cavs, and was a starter on the Miami Heat team that reached the 2023 NBA Finals.
Where is he now: Love is a free agent after playing his 18th NBA season with the Utah Jazz, where he played in 37 games and averaged 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17 minutes.
He has mentioned he hopes to continue his playing career in Utah or elsewhere and eventually move on to a career in coaching or front office work.
What he did then: Smith was a vital two-way player who started 77 regular-season games and every playoff game, and had six playoff games in which he made five or more 3-pointers, including Game 3 of the Finals when he put up 20 points in the Cavs’ 30-point win.
He scored 12 points in Game 7, including two timely 3-pointers in the third quarter to bring the Cavs back to within two.
He celebrated the title by going shirtless for days on end.
What has he done since: He played two more seasons with the Cavs, playing key roles on two more Finals teams. He’s unfortunately remembered for forgetting the score in the final seconds of Game 1 of the 2018 Finals. He won a second championship ring in 2020 with the Lakers in the final year of his career.
Where is he now: A year after retiring, he enrolled at North Carolina A&T and later walked on to the university’s golf team. Earlier this year, he graduated with a degree in liberal studies and plans to pursue a master’s degree. He has mentioned he aspires to one day be the athletic director at the university.
What he did then: Mozgov came to Cleveland around midseason in 2014-15, when the Cavs stumbled to a 19-20 start in James’ first season back to the franchise.
The team parted with two first-round picks to acquire the 7-foot-1, 275-pounder, but Mozgov’s presence made a major impact as Cleveland finished the season 53-29 and made it all the way to the Finals.
What he has done since: Mozgov signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2016, taking advantage of the league’s salary cap explosion.
He was later traded to the Brooklyn Nets, along with D’Angelo Russell, in what was seen as a cost-cutting move at the time, but ended up netting L.A. a future championship contributor in forward Kyle Kuzma. Brooklyn then traded Mozgov to the Orlando Magic in 2018 and the Magic used the stretch provision to waive the remaining $16.7 million on his deal.
Where is he now: Mozgov splits his time between Los Angeles and his native Russia. Turning 40 next month, Mozgov still plays in occasional pick-up basketball games near his Manhattan Beach, California home.
What he did then: An iron man during the Cavs’ championship run, Thompson set a franchise record by playing in 447 consecutive games from 2012 to 2017.
After sitting out the preseason because of a contract dispute and beginning the season as Mozgov’s backup, Thompson started all 21 of Cleveland’s 2016 playoff games and averaged 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds in the Finals.
His ability to switch onto the perimeter was vital to the Cavs’ defensive schemes.
What he has done since: Thompson played nine more seasons in the NBA with Cleveland, Boston, Sacramento, Indiana and Chicago and teamed up again with James in L.A. for the Lakers’ run to the 2023 Western Conference finals.
Thompson also gained fame off the court for his relationship with reality TV star Khloe Kardashian.
Where is he now: Thompson appeared as a guest analyst with ESPN’s “NBA Today” before returning to the Cavs for the 2024-25 season. He is currently an analyst and studio contributor for NBA TV.
Kyrie Irving’s big shot over Stephen Curry late in Game 7 on the 2016 NBA Finals lifted the Cavs to the title. Jack Arent/NBAE via Getty ImagesMatthew Dellavedova
What he did then: A valuable role player off the bench, “Delly” had a big role in the 2015 Finals, especially as a spot-defender against Curry. In 2016, Dellavedova’s role diminished, but he still provided energy off the bench and assisted Irving in defending opposing lead guards.
What he has done since: Shortly after the Finals, he signed a four-year, $39 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he later returned to Cleveland and played 70 games with the Cavs from 2019 to 2021. He last played in the NBA in 2022-23 and won a bronze medal with the Australian national team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Where is he now: He just finished his fourth season in his native Australia playing in the NBL, averaging 8.7 points and 4.7 assists for the Sydney Kings.
In 2025, he was named MVP of the NBL championship series for the losing Melbourne United, and gave the trophy to Illawarra Hawks’ Will Hickey, who was on the winning team.
What he did then: With Love sidelined by a concussion for Game 3 of the Finals, Jefferson stepped into the starting lineup and contributed nine points, eight rebounds and two steals to help the Cavs notch their first win of the series.
Beyond his on-court performance, Jefferson was known for keeping the locker room loose, once turning a torn-out magazine page featuring a male model that somewhat resembled Love into the de facto team mascot, “Lil’ Kev.”
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What he has done since: Jefferson starred in what is considered one of the best Christmas Day games in history when the Cavs and Warriors faced off again, six months after the 2016 Finals.
Cleveland beat the Kevin Durant version of the Warriors 109-108 with Jefferson dunking on both Durant and Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter. He was then traded to the Atlanta Hawks before the 2017-18 season and, after being waived by Atlanta, played a final season with the Denver Nuggets and retired after 17 seasons.
Where is he now: Alongside Mike Breen and now, Tim Legler, Jefferson has called the last two NBA Finals on the A-Team for ESPN/ABC. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Cavs’ title, Jefferson interviewed a handful of Cleveland and Golden State players on “The Richard Show” on his YouTube channel, which has amassed more than 100,000 subscribers.
What he did then: Acquired from the Orlando Magic at the 2016 trade deadline as part of a three-team deal that saw Cleveland part ways with franchise favorite Anderson Varejao, Frye was a potent stretch 5 for the Cavs.
He shot 56.5% from deep for the playoffs and stepped up for 27 points in Game 3 of the second round against Atlanta during Cleveland’s 10-0 start to the postseason.
What he has done since: Frye’s trade to Los Angeles, along with Isaiah Thomas and a first-round pick, for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. in February 2018 opened enough cap space for the Lakers to sign James as a free agent that summer. He returned to the Cavs to play a final season in 2018-19, his 13th, before retiring.
Where is he now: Frye is close with Jefferson, whom he known since his college days at Arizona where both played, though not together.
Frye, Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins and former Cavs sideline reporter, Allie Clifton, co-host the “Road Trippin’ Show,” a podcast they launched when they played in Cleveland. Like Jefferson, Frye has gone into sports broadcasting and has worked as a studio analyst for NBA TV. Frye also started a wine company with Love called Chosen Family Wines, based in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
What he did then: A key role player, Shumpert often defended the opposition’s best wing player, freeing up James on that end.
What he has done since: “Shump” played five more seasons and helped the Cavs return to the Finals in 2017. Despite having no previous dance experience, Shumpert and his partner won “Dancing with the Stars” in 2021 and has done some acting work.
Where is he now: NBA analyst for ESPN.
What he did then: A locker room leader, Jones was not part of the Cavs’ rotation in the Finals but one of his contributions was the idea for a secret “puzzle” the team used as inspiration during the playoffs. It was of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, cut into 16 pieces, and after each playoff win a different player would ceremoniously place a piece into the empty slot.
What he has done since: After retiring in 2017 with three rings, “Champ” joined the Phoenix Suns front office and was later promoted to general manager in 2019. He was a primary architect of the Suns’ team that reached the Finals in 2021, when he was also named Executive of the Year.
Where is he now: In 2025, he was hired to be the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations. He oversees playing rules, discipline and game operations.
What he did then: A veteran brought in as Irving recovered from injury, Williams was the Cavs’ starting point guard early in the 2015-16 season. He had a smaller role by the end of the season. Game 7 was the final game of his 13-year NBA career.
What he has done since: Williams started a coaching career in 2018 as an assistant at Cal State Northridge and later went on to be the head coach at Alabama State and Jackson State.
Where is he now: He was recently hired to be an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky, where his son Mason is an incoming four-star recruit. Shortly after his arrival, he helped secure the commitment of five-star 2027 prospect Ryan Hampton.
What he did then: If you want to stump your friends, ask them which Cavaliers player led Cleveland in scoring with 36 points in their regular-season finale for the 2015-16 season. The answer is McRae, the lithe 6-foot-5 shooting guard who joined the team on a 10-day contract in February and made the playoff roster. He played only two games in the postseason but made the most of the spot minutes, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
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What has he done since: McRae played parts of three more seasons in the NBA with four teams in Cleveland, Washington, Denver and Detroit before embarking on a pro career overseas. He has played for teams in China, France, Greece, Italy and most recently, Israel, before his season was cut short because of the war in the Middle East.
Where is he now: McRae, 35, is still pursuing playing opportunities and makes his offseason home in Atlanta.
“I’m blessed to still be getting paid to do it,” McRae told ESPN. He’s getting married this summer and still keeps in touch with Irving, his best friend from that Cavs team. “I was with Kyrie last month,” McRae mentioned. “We went to Coachella together. He’s still my guy, man. We talk about it all the time, just to see our personal growth from 10 years ago, running around and being wild to now, all having families.”
What he did then: The fourth-string center for the team, he played only 25 games in his NBA career and didn’t appear in the postseason. He was on the team partially because of coach David Blatt, with whom he won a bronze medal for Russia at the 2012 Olympics.
What he has done since: Kaun was traded a month after the Finals and released by the 76ers shortly thereafter. A week later, he unveiled his retirement from basketball. He’d played six years professionally in Russia before coming to the NBA.
Where is he now: He is the director of the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs at Evergreen Sports Academy in Colorado.
What he did then: Jones signed with the Cavs on the final day of the regular season in 2015-16 and became a valuable playoff contributor. He is most known for a retaliatory flagrant foul in the midsection on Raptors center Bismack Biyombo in Cleveland’s Game 3 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals.
Then he scored five points in two minutes in the second quarter of the Cavs’ crucial Game 6 Finals victory over the Warriors.
What he has done since: Jones reprised his role with the Cavs for the 2017 postseason, again signing on the final day of the 2016-17 regular season and then calling it a career after Golden State beat Cleveland 4-1 in the 2017 Finals.
Where is he now: Jones has been on Tyronn Lue’s Clippers staff since 2020.
His son, Tanner Jones, is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard who just finished his freshman season for the University of Central Florida.
COACHES AND EXECUTIVESDavid Blatt, head coach: Controversially fired in January 2016 with a 30-16 record, Blatt returned to Europe where he was a star coach and had stints with Darüşşafaka in Turkey and Olympiacos in Greece.He has since served as a consultant with the New York Knicks, Maccabi Tel Aviv, the University of the Arizona and the Canadian national team. He has battled a form of multiple sclerosis since 2019.
Tyronn Lue, head coach: Since his first half season as head coach was capped by the Cavs’ championship, Lue’s reputation has only grown.
He led Cleveland to two more Finals runs before an unceremonious departure from the franchise following an 0-6 start to the 2018-19 season.
He was then hired by the LA Clippers to replace his mentor, Doc Rivers, in 2020 and has guided the team to a winning record in all six seasons at the helm.
In 2024, he joined Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, as an assistant coach on USA Basketball’s gold medal run at the Paris Olympics.
Larry Drew, assistant coach: Affectionately known as “Blue” by the Cavs, Drew continued his career as a trusted member of Lue’s staff with the Cavs and Clippers.
In 2018, he was inducted to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Phil Handy, player development coach: Initially a holdover from Mike Brown’s staff when Blatt got the job in Cleveland, Handy worked closely with both Irving and James during the Cavs’ contending years.
He has gone on to win two more titles as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, in 2019, and for the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2020, reuniting with James and Smith.
After serving as a head coach for the launch of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, he joined the Dallas Mavericks last season as an assistant coach.
Mike Gansey, Canton Charge general manager: Gansey went on to be the G League’s executive of the year in 2017 before being promoted to Koby Altman’s staff as assistant general manager.
When Altman moved up to president of basketball operations, Gansey became the Cavs’ GM in 2022.
Earlier this month, he left Cleveland after 15 years with the franchise to become the Philadelphia 76ers’ new president of basketball operations.
Jim Boylan, assistant coach: After coaching in the NBA for more than three decades, Boylan left the Cavs in 2018 and sued the team for age discrimination.
The case was settled out of court a year later.
Bret Brielmaier, assistant coach: He has gone on to have a long, successful career as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and was recently hired by the New Orleans Pelicans.
He was on the staff of the World Cup-winning German national team in 2023.
James Posey, assistant coach: A champion as a player, Posey has had a long career as an assistant coach. He stayed in Cleveland until 2019 and has worked in Washington, Phoenix and Portland since.
Mike “Longo” Longabardi: Previously an assistant coach with Lue in Boston, Longabardi was hired midseason in 2016 to run Lue’s defense, serving as the defensive coordinator for game planning and strategy. He continued his NBA coaching career as a journeyman assistant with the Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks until becoming head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats in 2023.
He is currently an assistant on Nick Nurse’s staff in Philadelphia, but the Cavs’ championship still sticks with him.
“I probably remember the dark stuff [more], losing in Brooklyn [in late March] and it was like, ‘Man, are we going to win a championship here?'” Longabardi told ESPN. “And then once we got into the playoffs and I saw how LeBron operated, I knew we had a chance.”
David Griffin, general manager: After constructing the franchise’s first title team, he left the Cavs in 2017 when his contract expired.
He was GM of the New Orleans Pelicans from 2019 to 2025.
Trent Redden, assistant GM: Redden left the Cavs in 2017 after 10 years with the organization and joined the Clippers.
In 2023, he was named Clippers’ general manager.
Brock Aller, senior director of basketball operations: Aller was key in helping the Cavs manage the salary cap.
In 2020, he left to do the same as a vice president with the New York Knicks.
Aller has now helped the Cavs break Cleveland’s 52-year title drought and the Knicks break one of 53 years.
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