Cleveland-Cliffs gets in the game

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the Cleveland Cavaliers have announced the Cliffs logo will be placed on the Cavs players’ uniforms beginning with the 2022-23 NBA season.

“Cleveland-Cliffs is proud of our partnership with the Cavaliers and the NBA, for our employees, their families, their communities and the entire Great Lakes Region,” says Lourenco Goncalves, chair, president and CEO of the steel producer, which also has mining and scrap recycling operations.

The two organizations call the logo placement an expansion of their existing multiyear marketing agreement. The announcement was made at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, where the Cavaliers play.

Goncalves continues, “The Cavs stand out as a unique and authentic showcase for the importance of teamwork with its talented players, coaching staff and management team, coming together strategically to win. Cleveland-Cliffs is no different. We are made by our 26,000 employees. These people, situated across the entire Great Lakes region, are talented and dedicated, working together to execute a well-thought strategy to produce a vital material, steel, that is woven into the fabric of everyday modern life. The power of this Cliffs-Cavs partnership is our common culture of teamwork, family and community, which are fundamental to our ongoing success. The journey together will be rewarding, and winning is about the whole team.”

Cleveland is poised to make the NBA playoffs this season for the first time in several years. The winning season, combined with the presence of two 2022 NBA All-Stars, is likely to mean the Cavaliers and the Cliffs logo will make several national television appearances in the 2022-23 season.

“Cliffs has been an anchor for Cleveland and the Great Lakes Region for 175 years,” says Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO Len Komoroski. “We share an immense amount of hometown pride and love for this region and are committed to having a positive influence on the people that live and work here. While our respective roles in the community are much different from each other, both Cliffs and the Cavs are considered part of the ‘fabric of life’ here in northeast Ohio. It is now very appropriate and relevant for Cliffs to be represented, literally, on the fabric of the Cavs player jerseys.”

Cavaliers All-Star point guard Darius Garland attended the press conference along with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. Garland hails from Gary, Indiana, near where Cleveland-Cliffs has two large steelmaking operations. Two of Garland’s grandparents worked within the steel industry, according to Cleveland-Cliffs.

“I will be very proud to wear the Cleveland-Cliffs logo on my jersey starting next season,” says Garland. “Being from Gary, Indiana, I know firsthand how important Cliffs and steel are to communities, both here in Cleveland and across our region. Every time I put this jersey on and see the Cliffs patch on the chest, I’ll be reminded of these people and motivated by the hard-working mentality that they bring every day.”

The partnership also has a community relations aspect to it, with the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation saying it will pledge $500,000 of new funding to Boys & Girls Clubs serving in or near communities that host Cleveland-Cliffs facilities. In Cleveland, area clubs will be “invited to apply for grant dollars to support capital and program expenses that encourage healthy lifestyles,” according to the steel producer.

Cliffs has been headquartered in Cleveland and operating in the Great Lakes region since 1847. The company’s headquarters are situated in downtown Cleveland, less than a half-mile from where the Cavaliers play.