Dellavedova gets standing ovation from Cavs crowd, says he's glad to be back in Cleveland

Benyam Kidane

Dellavedova gets standing ovation from Cavs crowd, says he's glad to be back in Cleveland image

Matthew Dellavedova is officially a Cavalier once again and the Cleveland fans couldn't be happier.

During today's game against the Washington Wizards, the crowd gave Dellavedova a standing ovation when he was shown on the big screen, giving him a huge welcome home.


Dellavedova, a fan favourite in Cleveland, won the hearts of Cavs fans during his three-year stint with the team for is dogged style of play and hard hat approach to the game, culminating in an NBA title in 2016.

The Aussie was part of yesterday's three-team trade centred around George Hill going to Milwaukee and Dellavedova and John Henson to Cleveland.

With the Cavaliers in somewhat of a rebuilding/re-tooling phase, Dellavedova will provide another strong voice in the locker room, with the popular 28-year-old excited to be back in town.

"I mean obviously you don't expect to pick up and move, but it's the NBA so it can always happen," Delly said pre-game.

"If it was going to be anywhere, I'm definitely glad it's here where I'm very comfortable. Familiar faces, familiar places and a lot of friends here and [there's] still some guys on the team that I've obviously played with and I'm definitely looking forward to throwing some lobs to TT [Tristan Thompson].

Delly also confirmed on Twitter that he will be wearing jersey number 18, with both his previous numbers 8 and 9 currently in use.


 

 

Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.