The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor of the 2011 NBA draft. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the first pick due to a previous trade they had involving the Los Angeles Clippers, choosing point guard Kyrie Irving of Duke. Of the 60 players drafted, 7 were freshmen, 7 were sophomores, 14 were juniors, 19 were seniors, 12 were international players without U.S. college basketball experience, and 1 was a D-League player.
Kyrie Irving was selected 1st overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jonas Valančiūnas was selected 5th overall by the Toronto Raptors.
Kemba Walker was selected 9th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats.
Klay Thompson was selected 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. Since 1994, the Cavs have played home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, which is shared with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Dan Gilbert has owned the team since March 2005.
Cavaliers forward and Akron native LeBron James, who was the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. A perennial NBA All-Star and a four-time NBA MVP winner, he led the team to its first NBA Finals in 2007 and their first championship in 2016.
J.B. Bickerstaff has been the head coach since 2020
2022 Cavaliers' "V-net" logo - a modified version of similar logos used in the 1980s and 1990s.
Scene of the 2017–18 season opener in then Quicken Loans Arena