Žydrunas Ilgauskas
Encyclopedia
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas or "Big Z" (his nickname
), is a retired Lithuania
n professional basketball
center
who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers
and Miami Heat
of the National Basketball Association
. He played for the Cavaliers from 1997 to 2010, and is the team's career leader in several categories, including games played
and blocks
.
with the Atletas Basketball Club. He averaged 20.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
with the 20th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft
.
In the earliest parts of his career he suffered through myriad foot and ankle injuries. He spent the entire 1996–97 season on the injured list due to a broken bone in his right foot. After having missed so much time with his foot injuries it took some time for Zydrunas to get back to where he was prior to it.
Despite being selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1997–98 and signing a contract extension in 1998 that was worth $70.9 million over 6 years, Ilgauskas played only in 5 games over the next two seasons. On January 26, 2000, he had a surgery on a fractured navicular bone in his left foot.
He remained the starting center for the Cavaliers in 2000–01. He was injured again in December 2000 and was out for the season. The injury dealt a blow to the Cavaliers. After winning 15 out of 23 games with Ilgauskas, they finished with a 30–52 record.
He returned in December 2001 and was mostly used as a backup to Chris Mihm
for the rest of the season.
Ilgauskas averaged 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 2002–03. He was selected as an All-Star, but the Cavaliers finished with the third-worst record in team history (17–65) and landed the number one draft pick.
The Cavaliers drafted high school phenomenon and future NBA MVP LeBron James
in 2003. James teamed up with Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden
to form the core of the team. Ilgauskas only missed 9 games over the next three seasons and was selected as an All-Star again in 2005.
On July 12, 2005, Ilgauskas signed a contract extension with the Cavaliers. The deal was reportedly worth over $55 million over 5 years.
For the next four seasons, Ilgauskas was the starting center for the team, which had turned into a contender. They reached the NBA Finals in 2007 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. In summer 2009, the Cavaliers acquired Shaquille O'Neal
. When asked about the trade, Ilgauskas responded: "I was just reading the news. That means I'll probably be coming off the bench." On December 2, 2009, Ilgauskas came off the bench in a game against Phoenix Suns
to break the team record for career games played, overtaking General Manager Danny Ferry.
On February 17, 2010, Ilgauskas, along with a 2010 first round pick
and the rights to Emir Preldžič
, was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers
to the Washington Wizards
as part of a three-team, six-player trade that sent Antawn Jamison
from Washington to Cleveland, Al Thornton
from the Los Angeles Clippers
to Washington, Drew Gooden
from Washington to Los Angeles, and Sebastian Telfair
from Los Angeles to Cleveland. On February 25, 2010, the Wizards bought out his contract, making him a free agent. Ilgauskas did not play in any games for the Wizards. It was possible for Ilgauskas to return to the Cavaliers, but only after a thirty-day waiting period policy required for players traded from their former teams after being bought out of their contract by their new team. He was still free to sign with any other team.
On March 23, 2010 Ilgauskas signed a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2009–2010 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his return a day later in a win over the New Orleans Hornets. In his first home game back with the team, against the Sacramento Kings
, Ilgauskas received huge ovations and support from the crowd. Quicken Loans Arena
was affectionately re-named "The Z" for the day, in honor of the Lithuanian.
The 2010 NBA Playoffs
marked the first time in Ilgauskas' career in which he was not a significant part of the Cavaliers' rotation. Ilgauskas saw only 69 minutes of floor time in the entire postseason, resulting in averages of 1.7 PPG and 1.6 RPG, far below his career playoff production. The Cavs were eliminated by the Boston Celtics
in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
, Dwyane Wade
and long-time teammate LeBron James
influenced Ilgauskas's decision to join the Heat. On December 2, 2010, the Heat's first game in Cleveland, the fans cheered Ilgauskas in pre-game introductions, while booing the rest of the starters, including James.
In September 2011, Ilgauskas told The Plain Dealer that he was retiring from basketball, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
in 1994, when the team was qualifying for a spot in the Eurobasket 1995
. He averaged 7.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Ilgauskas later wanted to play for Lithuania national team in the 2008 Summer Olympics
. The Cavaliers did not permit him to play due to his injury history. Žydrūnas Ilgauskas played only three official matches with the Lithuania national basketball team
in his whole career.
Ilgauskas adopted two Lithuanian brothers (aged five and four at the time) from his hometown of Kaunas.
Ilgauskas is an avid reader, of military history in particular, and he often read in the locker room before games.
| 1997–98
| Cleveland
| 82 || 81 || 29.0 || .518 || .250 || .762 || 8.8 || .9 || .6 || 1.6 || 13.9
|-
| 1998–99
| Cleveland
| 5 || 5 || 34.2 || .509 || .000 || .600 || 8.8 || .8 || .8 || 1.4 || 15.2
|-
| 2000–01
| Cleveland
| 24 || 24 || 25.7 || .487 || .000 || .679 || 6.7 || .8 || .6 || 1.5 || 11.7
|-
| 2001–02
| Cleveland
| 62 || 23 || 21.4 || .425 || .000 || .754 || 5.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 1.4 || 11.1
|-
| 2002–03
| Cleveland
| 81 || 81 || 30.0 || .441 || .000 || .781 || 7.5 || 1.6 || .7 || 1.9 || 17.2
|-
| 2003–04
| Cleveland
| 81 || 81 || 31.3 || .483 || .286 || .746 || 8.1 || 1.3 || .5 || 2.5 || 15.3
|-
| 2004–05
| Cleveland
| 78 || 78 || 33.5 || .468 || .286 || .799 || 8.6 || 1.3 || .7 || 2.1 || 16.9
|-
| 2005–06
| Cleveland
| 78 || 78 || 29.3 || .506 || .000 || .834 || 7.6 || 1.2 || .5 || 1.7 || 15.6
|-
| 2006–07
| Cleveland
| 78 || 78 || 27.3 || .485 || .000 || .807 || 7.7 || 1.6 || .6 || 1.3 || 11.9
|-
| 2007–08
| Cleveland
| 73 || 73 || 30.4 || .474 || .000 || .802 || 9.3 || 1.4 || .5 || 1.6 || 14.1
|-
| 2008–09
| Cleveland
| 65 || 65 || 27.2 || .472 || .385 || .799 || 7.5 || 1.0 || .4 || 1.3 || 12.9
|-
| 2009–10
| Cleveland
| 64 || 6 || 20.9 || .443 || .478 || .743 || 5.4 || .8 || .2 || .8 || 7.4
|-
| 2010-11
| Miami
| 72 || 51 || 15.9 || .508 || .000 || .783 || 4.0 || .4 || .3 || .8 || 5.0
|-
| Career
|
| 843 || 724 || 27.2 || .476 || .310 || .780 || 7.3 || 1.1 || .5 || 1.6 || 13.0
|-
| All-Star
|
| 2 || 0 || 10.5 || .556 || .000 || 1.000 || 3.5 || .5 || .0 || 1.0 || 6.0
| 1997–98
| Cleveland
| 4 || 4 || 36.8 || .571 || .000 || .520 || 7.5 || .5 || .5 || 1.2 || 17.3
|-
| 2005–06
| Cleveland
| 13 || 13 || 27.2 || .454 || .000 || .750 || 6.3 || .8 || .4 || 2.1 || 10.4
|-
| 2006–07
| Cleveland
| 20 || 20 || 32.5 || .492 || .000 || .838 || 9.7 || .9 || .4 || .8 || 12.6
|-
| 2007–08
| Cleveland
| 13 || 13 || 30.2 || .479 || .000 || .818 || 7.5 || 1.6 || .4 || 1.1 || 13.1
|-
| 2008–09
| Cleveland
| 14 || 14 || 29.1 || .449 || .154 || .636 || 7.8 || 1.2 || .4 || .9 || 10.5
|-
| 2009–10
| Cleveland
| 7 || 0 || 9.9 || .385 || .000 || .667 || 1.6 || .4 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.7
|-
| 2010–11
| Miami
| 9 || 8 || 11.6 || .467 || .000 || .667 || 3.6 || .3 || .0 || .3 || 3.6
|-
| Career
|
| 80 || 72 || 26.5 || .477 || .154 || .744 || 6.9 || .9 || .3 || 1.1 || 10.2
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
), is a retired Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
and Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. He played for the Cavaliers from 1997 to 2010, and is the team's career leader in several categories, including games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
and blocks
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
.
Early career
Ilgauskas made his pro debut in his birthplace of KaunasKaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
with the Atletas Basketball Club. He averaged 20.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Ilgauskas was selected by the Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
with the 20th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft
1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association . It was held on June 26, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television...
.
In the earliest parts of his career he suffered through myriad foot and ankle injuries. He spent the entire 1996–97 season on the injured list due to a broken bone in his right foot. After having missed so much time with his foot injuries it took some time for Zydrunas to get back to where he was prior to it.
Despite being selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1997–98 and signing a contract extension in 1998 that was worth $70.9 million over 6 years, Ilgauskas played only in 5 games over the next two seasons. On January 26, 2000, he had a surgery on a fractured navicular bone in his left foot.
He remained the starting center for the Cavaliers in 2000–01. He was injured again in December 2000 and was out for the season. The injury dealt a blow to the Cavaliers. After winning 15 out of 23 games with Ilgauskas, they finished with a 30–52 record.
He returned in December 2001 and was mostly used as a backup to Chris Mihm
Chris Mihm
Christopher Steven Mihm is a 7 ft , 265 pound American professional basketball player currently a free agent. He was drafted with the 7th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.-Early life:...
for the rest of the season.
Ilgauskas averaged 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 2002–03. He was selected as an All-Star, but the Cavaliers finished with the third-worst record in team history (17–65) and landed the number one draft pick.
The Cavaliers drafted high school phenomenon and future NBA MVP LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
in 2003. James teamed up with Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden
Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs...
to form the core of the team. Ilgauskas only missed 9 games over the next three seasons and was selected as an All-Star again in 2005.
For the next four seasons, Ilgauskas was the starting center for the team, which had turned into a contender. They reached the NBA Finals in 2007 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. In summer 2009, the Cavaliers acquired Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
. When asked about the trade, Ilgauskas responded: "I was just reading the news. That means I'll probably be coming off the bench." On December 2, 2009, Ilgauskas came off the bench in a game against Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
to break the team record for career games played, overtaking General Manager Danny Ferry.
On February 17, 2010, Ilgauskas, along with a 2010 first round pick
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
and the rights to Emir Preldžič
Emir Preldžic
Emir Preldžić is a Turkish professional basketball player of Bosnian origin who played for Slovenian national basketball team at the 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament. He is 6 ft 9 in tall and he can play at both the small forward and power forward positions, and he can also play as a...
, was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
to the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
as part of a three-team, six-player trade that sent Antawn Jamison
Antawn Jamison
Antawn Cortez Jamison is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He currently plays power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a member of the USA National Team for the 2006 FIBA World Championships...
from Washington to Cleveland, Al Thornton
Al Thornton
Al Thornton is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association . He had formerly played for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards...
from the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
to Washington, Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden
Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs...
from Washington to Los Angeles, and Sebastian Telfair
Sebastian Telfair
Sebastian Telfair is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Abraham Lincoln High School...
from Los Angeles to Cleveland. On February 25, 2010, the Wizards bought out his contract, making him a free agent. Ilgauskas did not play in any games for the Wizards. It was possible for Ilgauskas to return to the Cavaliers, but only after a thirty-day waiting period policy required for players traded from their former teams after being bought out of their contract by their new team. He was still free to sign with any other team.
On March 23, 2010 Ilgauskas signed a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2009–2010 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his return a day later in a win over the New Orleans Hornets. In his first home game back with the team, against the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, Ilgauskas received huge ovations and support from the crowd. Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....
was affectionately re-named "The Z" for the day, in honor of the Lithuanian.
The 2010 NBA Playoffs
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
marked the first time in Ilgauskas' career in which he was not a significant part of the Cavaliers' rotation. Ilgauskas saw only 69 minutes of floor time in the entire postseason, resulting in averages of 1.7 PPG and 1.6 RPG, far below his career playoff production. The Cavs were eliminated by the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Miami Heat
On July 17, 2010 Ilgauskas signed a 1 year $1,352,181 contract with the Miami Heat. The Heat's signings of Chris BoshChris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association ....
, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...
and long-time teammate LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
influenced Ilgauskas's decision to join the Heat. On December 2, 2010, the Heat's first game in Cleveland, the fans cheered Ilgauskas in pre-game introductions, while booing the rest of the starters, including James.
In September 2011, Ilgauskas told The Plain Dealer that he was retiring from basketball, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
National team
Ilgauskas made his debut with the Lithuania national teamLithuania national basketball team
The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
in 1994, when the team was qualifying for a spot in the Eurobasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens, Greece from 21 June to 2 July, 1995. This European championship was the first one that saw the successful return of Lithuania national basketball team to the tournament, since its last triumph...
. He averaged 7.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Ilgauskas later wanted to play for Lithuania national team in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. The Cavaliers did not permit him to play due to his injury history. Žydrūnas Ilgauskas played only three official matches with the Lithuania national basketball team
Lithuania national basketball team
The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
in his whole career.
Personal
Ilgauskas married his wife, Jennifer, during the summer of 2004. In 2007, the couple lost a set of twins due to pregnancy complications that caused the infants to be born four months premature. In the summer of 2009,Ilgauskas adopted two Lithuanian brothers (aged five and four at the time) from his hometown of Kaunas.
Ilgauskas is an avid reader, of military history in particular, and he often read in the locker room before games.
Regular season
|-| 1997–98
| Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
| 82 || 81 || 29.0 || .518 || .250 || .762 || 8.8 || .9 || .6 || 1.6 || 13.9
|-
| 1998–99
| Cleveland
| 5 || 5 || 34.2 || .509 || .000 || .600 || 8.8 || .8 || .8 || 1.4 || 15.2
|-
| 2000–01
| Cleveland
| 24 || 24 || 25.7 || .487 || .000 || .679 || 6.7 || .8 || .6 || 1.5 || 11.7
|-
| 2001–02
| Cleveland
| 62 || 23 || 21.4 || .425 || .000 || .754 || 5.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 1.4 || 11.1
|-
| 2002–03
| Cleveland
| 81 || 81 || 30.0 || .441 || .000 || .781 || 7.5 || 1.6 || .7 || 1.9 || 17.2
|-
| 2003–04
| Cleveland
| 81 || 81 || 31.3 || .483 || .286 || .746 || 8.1 || 1.3 || .5 || 2.5 || 15.3
|-
| 2004–05
| Cleveland
| 78 || 78 || 33.5 || .468 || .286 || .799 || 8.6 || 1.3 || .7 || 2.1 || 16.9
|-
| 2005–06
| Cleveland
| 78 || 78 || 29.3 || .506 || .000 || .834 || 7.6 || 1.2 || .5 || 1.7 || 15.6
|-
| 2006–07
| Cleveland
| 78 || 78 || 27.3 || .485 || .000 || .807 || 7.7 || 1.6 || .6 || 1.3 || 11.9
|-
| 2007–08
| Cleveland
| 73 || 73 || 30.4 || .474 || .000 || .802 || 9.3 || 1.4 || .5 || 1.6 || 14.1
|-
| 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| Cleveland
| 65 || 65 || 27.2 || .472 || .385 || .799 || 7.5 || 1.0 || .4 || 1.3 || 12.9
|-
| 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| Cleveland
| 64 || 6 || 20.9 || .443 || .478 || .743 || 5.4 || .8 || .2 || .8 || 7.4
|-
| 2010-11
| Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
| 72 || 51 || 15.9 || .508 || .000 || .783 || 4.0 || .4 || .3 || .8 || 5.0
|-
| Career
|
| 843 || 724 || 27.2 || .476 || .310 || .780 || 7.3 || 1.1 || .5 || 1.6 || 13.0
|-
| All-Star
|
| 2 || 0 || 10.5 || .556 || .000 || 1.000 || 3.5 || .5 || .0 || 1.0 || 6.0
Playoffs
|-| 1997–98
1998 NBA Playoffs
The 1998 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997-98 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their sixth championship of the decade by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz four...
| Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
| 4 || 4 || 36.8 || .571 || .000 || .520 || 7.5 || .5 || .5 || 1.2 || 17.3
|-
| 2005–06
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
| Cleveland
| 13 || 13 || 27.2 || .454 || .000 || .750 || 6.3 || .8 || .4 || 2.1 || 10.4
|-
| 2006–07
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
| Cleveland
| 20 || 20 || 32.5 || .492 || .000 || .838 || 9.7 || .9 || .4 || .8 || 12.6
|-
| 2007–08
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
| Cleveland
| 13 || 13 || 30.2 || .479 || .000 || .818 || 7.5 || 1.6 || .4 || 1.1 || 13.1
|-
| 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| Cleveland
| 14 || 14 || 29.1 || .449 || .154 || .636 || 7.8 || 1.2 || .4 || .9 || 10.5
|-
| 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| Cleveland
| 7 || 0 || 9.9 || .385 || .000 || .667 || 1.6 || .4 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.7
|-
| 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
| 9 || 8 || 11.6 || .467 || .000 || .667 || 3.6 || .3 || .0 || .3 || 3.6
|-
| Career
|
| 80 || 72 || 26.5 || .477 || .154 || .744 || 6.9 || .9 || .3 || 1.1 || 10.2
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
- List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history