The Cavaliers began play in the 1970-71 NBA season as an expansion team. They set losing records in each of their first five seasons before winning their first division title in 1976.

Bernard James was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA draft. He is the oldest player ever to be drafted in the NBA at 27 years and 148 days old.

Known to fans as "Nate the Great", Nate Thurmond was the first player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double and one of five players in NBA history to average at least 15 rebounds per game for his career. He spent just two seasons with the Cavaliers but helped to lead Cleveland's "Miracle at Richfield" team to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in 1976. His No. 42 jersey is retired by both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

LeBron James was the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. In his first regular season game, he scored 25 points against the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut performance. At the conclusion of the season, he became the first Cavalier to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and with final averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, he also became just the third player in league history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a rookie.

David Blatt coached the Cavs from 2014-2016, leading them to an Eastern Conference championship in 2015. He finished with a regular season record of 83-40 and a franchise-best .675 winning percentage, edging out Mike Brown (.633) and Tyronn Lue (.607).

"King James" returned to the Cavs in 2014 and led the team to four straight NBA Finals appearances. In 2016, the Cavaliers won their first NBA Championship, marking Cleveland's first major sports title since 1964.

In 2016, LeBron James was named the unanimous NBA Finals MVP after leading all players in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks during the series, a feat that had never been accomplished in an NBA playoff series.

During his rookie season, Ron Harper set a franchise record with 209 steals, while also leading the team in points (1,874) and assists (394).

In 1992-93, Point guard Mark Price made a franchise-record 94.8% of his free throws, surpassing his own record of 94.7% from 1991-92.

World B. Free was one of the NBA's original flashy stars. Known for his "rainbow" jump shots, referring to the extreme arch of the ball during the shot, the "Prince of Midair" never averaged less than 22.5 points per game in any of his four seasons with Cleveland.