Relive the Cavaliers’ Historic 2016 NBA Championship Through Fan Photos

As big as the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship was for the city of Cleveland, the moment was also a personal one.

“Cleveland, this one’s for you,” the then-Cavalier LeBron James declared as he hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, breaking our 52-year-old championship curse.

And he was right. A decade later, we remember not The Shot or The Block but the places we were and the people we were with. We remember sitting on our couch, seeing our dads cry for the first time or watching our young kids form core memories. We remember streaming out of bars and apartments Downtown, dancing on East Ninth Street next to thousands of strangers. We remember feeling like a small part of something big in a sea of 1.3 million Northeast Ohioans at the historic championship parade. 

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of the Cavs beating the Golden State Warriors, we wanted to live those moments together again. 

So, Cleveland Magazine put out a call for fan photos and memories to relive those experiences. Northeast Ohioans delivered, sending in rare pictures of celebrations, whether from the deepest seat on their couches or the tippy-top of Downtown street signs. 

The personal photos remind us of (not only how far iPhone cameras have come but also) the feeling of catharsis and joy created by one team’s 3-1 comeback and the end of a 52-year-old drought. 

Scroll through the photos below to relive the most memorable day in Cleveland sports.

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