From the original Cavaliers logo in 1971 of the swashbuckling cavalier to today's very sleek and classy looking Cavalier logo. The Cavaliers over the years have gone through 4 different logo design changes.
Over the years, the club’s colors – “wine and gold” – have become almost analogous to the team’s actual name. The Cavaliers are the “Wine and Gold” in the same way that Ohio State is the “Scarlet and Grey,” the University of Michigan is the “Maize and Blue” or the Oakland Raiders are the “Silver and Black.”
2017 - Present
The new Cavaliers logos will carry forward both the popular “C-Sword” and “C” logos from previous years, as well as the original expression of Cavaliers Wine & Gold, the team’s first colors in their inaugural 1970 season, which were re-introduced in 2010-11. Navy remains a complimentary color, while black is officially introduced as a new and permanent addition to the Cavaliers color palette.
2011 - 2017
The Cavaliers switched to a modified version of the team’s classic wine and gold scheme from the 2003 – 2004 season and a metallic gold and crimson shade of wine, with navy blue added to the color scheme of the piercing sword with a basketball in the background.
2004 - 2010
The Cavaliers logo in 2004, is a gold sword piercing through the wordmark “CLEVELAND CAVALIERS” in white and navy blue trim, with a wine basketball surrounding it. The “C” from the “Cavaliers” is hooked around the sword.
1995 - 2003
The logo used in this period was of a orange and black outlined basketball on its way down a white net, surrounded by a black square and a wordmark “CAVS” in blue with black line below the basket.
1984 - 1994
In the 1983 – 1984 season, a new logo scheme featured a orange wordmark “CAVS” as the logo. The “V” was designed like a hoop with a basketball entering it.
1971 - 1983
The original Cleveland logo was that of a orange swashbuckling cavalier looking right with a sword pointing forward, a wordmark on top “CAVALIERS” in orange with yellow trim and “CLEVELAND” on the bottom with a yellow basketball in the background.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ First Logo—Wine and Gold, with a Dash of Pittsburgh
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are headed back to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, a development that original Cavs fans would likely have found unthinkable after the team’s 1970-71 debut, during which the team posted a 15-67 record. While Cleveland hoops fans owe much to the estimable Mr. James, they owe their first logo to a design agency that was based in (of all places) Pittsburgh. The Cavs’ original logo was unveiled on May 14, 1970 and it was developed by Pitt Studios, self-described as “one of the largest studios in the country,” with offices in Cleveland, and yes, Pittsburgh. Read More...