When Richard Jefferson decided to post the image of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ championship rings last year earlier than when the team’s management wanted it to be revealed, it nearly spelled the end of the forward’s career as a Cavalier.
Jefferson uploaded a picture of the ring to his Snapchat account just after the Cavs took down the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of last year’s Finals in which the Cavs had to battle back from a 3-1 series deficit. All the euphoria of that success, however, weren’t enough for then-Cavs general manager David Griffin to let Jefferson’s flagrant mistake pass. As reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Griffin was so miffed at what Jefferson did that he almost picked up the phone and inquired for possible trade scenarios involving Jefferson.
Then-GM David Griffin was so ticked that he was ready to ship him out of town, sources told ESPN, before eventually calming down and accepting Jefferson’s apology.
Richard Jefferson must be thankful that Griffin got a hold of his senses before actually ejecting the forward out of the team via a trade.
In fairness to Jefferson, it was hard for him to keep his excitement. After all, he was in search of the ring for so long before hooking up with the Cavs, nearly winning an NBA title back in the early 2000s when the New Jersey Nets went to two consecutive NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.
Jefferson remains without a team after the Atlanta Hawks cut him, and if he wants to post his golf scorecards, no one’s stopping him from doing that.