Five very special individuals who played core roles in the early years of the Cleveland Cavaliers will have their franchise legacies further recognized and honored when they are inducted into the brand-new Cavaliers Wall of Honor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Wayne Embry, Bill Fitch, the late John Johnson, Nick Mileti and the late John “Hot Rod” Williams will comprise the inaugural class of the Wall of Honor.
The official induction ceremony will take place at the Cavs vs. Philadelphia game on Sunday, November 17th. Additional details about the related plans, events and activities surrounding the induction will be announced in the near future.
Making its debut for the Cavs 50th season in 2019-20, the Wall of Honor program was created to recognize deserving former members of the franchise and serve as a special, permanent way to honor those who have played such a distinguished, pivotal role in Cavs history
The Wall of Honor will reside prominently in the new North Atrium area of the FieldHouse. The large 12’x44’ wall will feature a mosaic of custom designed tiles that represent each honoree. Each inductee will have two silver tiles: one engraved with their name, photo, years with the organization, and their jersey number or role with the team; the other with their name, list of major accomplishments and jersey number/role.
The Wall will also include tiles for the eight individuals who have previously had their jerseys retired by the Cavs: Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Nance Sr., Mark Price, Bobby “Bingo” Smith, Nate Thurmond and Joe Tait (Cavaliers Hall of Fame radio broadcaster for 39 seasons). Each individual will be represented with two gold tiles.