Prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers winning game 6 decisively, veteran and former Wildcat Richard Jefferson wrote to his team.
Former Arizona Wildcats Richard Jefferson took to his computer through The Players Tribune to pour out his thoughts in a heartfelt letter to his team the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jefferson is the team’s SnapChat historian; he documents the fun side of his team and the hidden chemistry they have in temporary snippets that make even the casual NBA fan smile. The rare precious moments he captured are priceless.
It quickly becomes clearer why he named the post ‘Who We Are.”
In this letter, he starts out talking about his SnapChat exposure and adoption and how they came to be, starting with a guy Jefferson saw on the cover of a magazine who was a dead ringer for Kevin Love and named him ‘Lil’ Kev’ and started filming a few segments with Lil’ Kev, he was hooked:
"At first only my teammates and friends followed the shenanigans, but then I made my account public and that’s when Lil Kev was really born. I took him everywhere — to the club, in my car, on the couch watching playoff games. Soon people were sending me pictures of customized Lil Kev T-shirts that they’d made.The response to each video I posted was overwhelming. It was a surprise at first, but then it made complete sense: Cavs fans wanted to see us as we really are.At first only my teammates and friends followed the shenanigans, but then I made my account public and that’s when Lil Kev was really born.I took him everywhere — to the club, in my car, on the couch watching playoff games. Soon people were sending me pictures of customized Lil Kev T-shirts that they’d made. The response to each video I posted was overwhelming. It was a surprise at first, but then it made complete sense: Cavs fans wanted to see us as we really are."
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What prompted him to put his thoughts on paper? ” It’s the night before the biggest game of my career and probably the biggest game in Cavs history,” he wrote, “I’m finding it hard to relax and wind down. All I can think about is the sound of the Q on Thursday night. The last home game of the season.”
The central theme of his writing concerns his team’s chemistry or the perception of the lack thereof. Jefferson took us into the behind-the-scenes happenings that most fans and media have been dying to know; Does the team have chemistry? And what is LeBron doing as the leader to get the team together?
"We were 15 guys sitting around his big dining room table. In the middle of the meal, he stood up and addressed each guy in the room. He pointed out something that each player brought to the team, and explained how it was going to be vital if we wanted to win a championship. And he gave each one of us a memento, a little gift.I won’t share what exactly it was because it was a team thing. But it wasn’t anything big. I think it just struck us all in that moment how special a position we were in. Bron was saying to us, “We can only do this if we do it together. That’s all that matters.” He’s won championships before. We wanted to listen."
Cavs fans overwhelmingly took to Lil’ Kev and Jefferson’s SnapChats begging him to continue posting.
LeBron seemed to understand Richards motivation to win; it was the moment LeBron spoke to Jefferson that was the most touching:
"“Richard, I know.”Head shaking. I didn’t know what to say. I was a little emotional.“Four more, come on,” he said.LeBron knows the journey I’ve been on. I made my first NBA Finals when he was still in high school. I’ll probably tell him how much this meant to me when this is all over. LeBron knows the journey I’ve been on. I made my first NBA Finals when he was still in high school. He’s very aware of what he’s trying to accomplish for this city. He’s aware of how much it would mean to me, and the rest of the guys, to win a championship."
Richard Jefferson and his teammate LeBron James now only have one game left, and it is on the Golden State Warriors home court. With the Warrior’s injuries, the outcome could go either way.
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For Wildcats fans who aren’t real fans of either team, they will probably be happy for the Cats who lose and happy for the Cats who win, it’s about time for Jefferson and Channing Frye to get their rings…either way, some Wildcats will be NBA Champs! BearDown Richard, thanks for sharing!