Cleveland is no stranger to an Australian sports hero, something the likes of Matthew Dellavedova and Travis Bazzana can likely attest to. While one won the NBA championship alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving for the Cavs back in 2016, the other has gone strength to strength in the MLB since being selected first overall by the Cleveland Guardians during the 2024 draft.
And while the two may have had prior reason to meet considering their shared heritage and club teams, they ended up recently sharing breakfast, per a post on X by Zack Meisel.
Travis Bazzana and Matthew Dellavedova — fellow Australians turned Cleveland fan favorites — have corresponded before, but met for the first time today when they had breakfast.
Bazzana: "People were all over him. Any male 20 to 50 wanted a photo, waited outside. He's a legend."
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 25, 2026
“People were all over him. Any male 20 to 50 wanted a photo, waited outside. He’s a legend,” Bezzana said of Dellavedova, who currently plays for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League.
The now 35-year-old had two stints with the Cavs, and can therefore be understood to be a cult hero of sorts. After going undrafted back in the 2013 NBA draft, Dellavedova joined the Cavs for the 2013 Summer League and ended up earning a two-year contract.
His stay with the Cavs would end with the historic 2015 NBA Finals, which saw Cleveland, led by James and Irving, complete a remarkable comeback from 3-1 down to win their first championship in franchise history. He later returned to the Cavs after a three-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks before signing with Melbourne United back in July 2021.
While never a starter, Dellavedova finished his time in Cleveland with a total of 321 appearances, only 36 of which were starts. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game, and was seen as an important bench piece for most of his time with the team.
Of course, Bazzana has had a starkly different trajectory and is already a mainstay with the Guardians. The second baseman has a .292 batting average, three home runs, 10 RBIs, and seven stolen bases across 104 plate appearances, and is likely to eventually be seen as an even bigger legend that the former Cavs man.