CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before Tuesday's game against the Detroit Pistons, Larry Sanders' bright orange No. 9 jersey hung near those patented goggles in his new locker, one first occupied by Jordan McRae and then Andrew Bogut -- for one day.
That spot belongs to Sanders now. It's his new home. His second chance.
"For us as his brothers now, it was great to just see him back out there," LeBron James said. "To have a two-year hiatus like he had and doing the things he needed to do to shore himself up to be a part of this league again, he was back where he belonged tonight."
Sanders hopped off the bench and made his return official with 1:58 left in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 32-point blowout.
It wasn't an easy road. Sanders gave up millions, he gave up basketball to focus on himself, to put the pieces of his suddenly shattered life back together off the floor.
"I know a little bit about going through some things, so to see somebody like him go through what he's gone through the last couple of years and to finally get back to where he should be and where he belongs as a basketball player on an NBA court is very special," Cavs guard J.R. Smith said. "Just happy to be a part of his process and hopefully, not only the team or myself, but he can help himself as well."
Shortly after leaving the NBA in February 2015, Sanders was treated for depression and anxiety. Arrested multiple times on drug charges, suspended by the NBA for drug use and arrested again last summer before the case was dropped and no charges were filed, Sanders spent the last few months trying to prove that he was different.
He held workouts for countless NBA teams. He had face-to-face meetings, including one with the Cavs. But no one was ready to take the gamble -- until Bogut suffered a season-ending injury and Cavaliers general manager David Griffin came calling.
"Nobody else has our particular situation," Griffin said. "Nobody has our locker room. Nobody has the leadership that we have. We obviously have an alpha both in Ty Lue and Bron. Kyrie (Irving) is growing as a leader. We've got a group that's excited about the ability to add particularly what could possibly be the right piece.
"There's obviously the potential that this doesn't work, and that it takes much longer. And that's OK. Our group's OK with that because they know this doesn't complete us. This just gives us a chance to do something that's unique. If you had a setup like we have, you'd bring him in. If you're a younger team trying to find your way, you couldn't do it. So I think this just set up well for everybody."
Perhaps no one will benefit more than Sanders. Cleveland provides exactly what he needs: Stability. Family. Friends. A strong support system. Low expectations.
"It's our consistent culture and understanding and expecting all of our individual talents on the court and off the court and making sure that we create a family-oriented atmosphere and there's a brotherhood here that exists," Irving said when asked what makes the locker room so special. "When we add someone new we just try to integrate them as best we can. We take everyone in character-wise and it's great to have a guy like Larry in here knowing his journey and knowing where he's come from. Now coming into a locker room like this hopefully we can make his transition to the NBA a lot easier."
In a way, Cleveland has become an NBA redemption shelter.
J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert went from New York castoffs to NBA champions. DeAndre Liggins was stranded in the Developmental League and had two stints overseas following his arrest on domestic-violence charges. Then the Cavs tossed him a life preserver and even gave him a starting gig at one point. Derrick Williams was glued to Miami's bench before his release. With the Cavs, he has become a key piece of the team's second unit.
Sanders is the latest to seek salvation with the Cavaliers, and it's all been made possible by the team's sturdy infrastructure.
The evidence of that was on display Tuesday night. With Sanders expected to be an observer, Lue wanted to put the exclamation point on Sanders' comeback, subbing him in the game to a huge ovation late in the fourth quarter. Lue badly wanted that moment for Sanders, so much so that Lue sent a ball boy to the executive box to get Griffin's permission.
"I really just wanted to introduce him to the crowd and have him get in, give him a chance to have a standing ovation," Lue said. "I thought it was good for him. When you go through what he's went through, and you have a chance to get back in the NBA on a pretty good team, I thought it was cool."
Then came the meaningful display in the locker room after, one James led.
"It was awesome. It was awesome," Irving said. "Bron brought it in and made sure we took a second to realize how unique and impactful his journey is on all of us and him coming into the locker room and being part of a great team like this. We don't take it for granted, we understood the moment and it's great for him, for him to be welcomed the way he is."
Most nights a player entering for less than two minutes while committing a pair of fouls and missing his only shot attempt would be mundane. Not Tuesday.
Sanders didn't get the block he wanted, the one he was thinking about when he sprinted onto the NBA court for the first time in a regular-season game since Dec. 23, 2014.
Still, it was the biggest step yet in his crooked trek back to the NBA.
He returns more mature and more stable. But numerous questions remain and there's still a long way to go.
Sanders is hoping all the introspection will be worth it. For one night, it sure seemed like it was.
"Got a chance to touch the floor, the crowd showed great support," Sanders said. "It was great to get out there."
That spot belongs to Sanders now. It's his new home. His second chance.
Sanders hopped off the bench and made his return official with 1:58 left in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 32-point blowout.
It wasn't an easy road. Sanders gave up millions, he gave up basketball to focus on himself, to put the pieces of his suddenly shattered life back together off the floor.
"I know a little bit about going through some things, so to see somebody like him go through what he's gone through the last couple of years and to finally get back to where he should be and where he belongs as a basketball player on an NBA court is very special," Cavs guard J.R. Smith said. "Just happy to be a part of his process and hopefully, not only the team or myself, but he can help himself as well."
Shortly after leaving the NBA in February 2015, Sanders was treated for depression and anxiety. Arrested multiple times on drug charges, suspended by the NBA for drug use and arrested again last summer before the case was dropped and no charges were filed, Sanders spent the last few months trying to prove that he was different.
He held workouts for countless NBA teams. He had face-to-face meetings, including one with the Cavs. But no one was ready to take the gamble -- until Bogut suffered a season-ending injury and Cavaliers general manager David Griffin came calling.
"Nobody else has our particular situation," Griffin said. "Nobody has our locker room. Nobody has the leadership that we have. We obviously have an alpha both in Ty Lue and Bron. Kyrie (Irving) is growing as a leader. We've got a group that's excited about the ability to add particularly what could possibly be the right piece.
"There's obviously the potential that this doesn't work, and that it takes much longer. And that's OK. Our group's OK with that because they know this doesn't complete us. This just gives us a chance to do something that's unique. If you had a setup like we have, you'd bring him in. If you're a younger team trying to find your way, you couldn't do it. So I think this just set up well for everybody."
Perhaps no one will benefit more than Sanders. Cleveland provides exactly what he needs: Stability. Family. Friends. A strong support system. Low expectations.
"It's our consistent culture and understanding and expecting all of our individual talents on the court and off the court and making sure that we create a family-oriented atmosphere and there's a brotherhood here that exists," Irving said when asked what makes the locker room so special. "When we add someone new we just try to integrate them as best we can. We take everyone in character-wise and it's great to have a guy like Larry in here knowing his journey and knowing where he's come from. Now coming into a locker room like this hopefully we can make his transition to the NBA a lot easier."
In a way, Cleveland has become an NBA redemption shelter.
J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert went from New York castoffs to NBA champions. DeAndre Liggins was stranded in the Developmental League and had two stints overseas following his arrest on domestic-violence charges. Then the Cavs tossed him a life preserver and even gave him a starting gig at one point. Derrick Williams was glued to Miami's bench before his release. With the Cavs, he has become a key piece of the team's second unit.
Sanders is the latest to seek salvation with the Cavaliers, and it's all been made possible by the team's sturdy infrastructure.
The evidence of that was on display Tuesday night. With Sanders expected to be an observer, Lue wanted to put the exclamation point on Sanders' comeback, subbing him in the game to a huge ovation late in the fourth quarter. Lue badly wanted that moment for Sanders, so much so that Lue sent a ball boy to the executive box to get Griffin's permission.
"I really just wanted to introduce him to the crowd and have him get in, give him a chance to have a standing ovation," Lue said. "I thought it was good for him. When you go through what he's went through, and you have a chance to get back in the NBA on a pretty good team, I thought it was cool."
Then came the meaningful display in the locker room after, one James led.
"It was awesome. It was awesome," Irving said. "Bron brought it in and made sure we took a second to realize how unique and impactful his journey is on all of us and him coming into the locker room and being part of a great team like this. We don't take it for granted, we understood the moment and it's great for him, for him to be welcomed the way he is."
Most nights a player entering for less than two minutes while committing a pair of fouls and missing his only shot attempt would be mundane. Not Tuesday.
Sanders didn't get the block he wanted, the one he was thinking about when he sprinted onto the NBA court for the first time in a regular-season game since Dec. 23, 2014.
Still, it was the biggest step yet in his crooked trek back to the NBA.
He returns more mature and more stable. But numerous questions remain and there's still a long way to go.
Sanders is hoping all the introspection will be worth it. For one night, it sure seemed like it was.
"Got a chance to touch the floor, the crowd showed great support," Sanders said. "It was great to get out there."
