Richard Jefferson was swayed by the chants of “one more year!” as he held the microphone Wednesday at the Cleveland Cavaliers victory parade.
He had announced his retirement on the spot after winning an NBA title with the Cavs Sunday night, but he is changing his tune.
“You guys think I shold play one more year?” Jefferson asked. “Kyrie [Irving] doesn’t. Kyrie doesn’t care.”
Screaming throng says “yes!”
“Okay,” Jefferson said. “If you guys want me to play one more year, I’ll play one more year.”
Jefferson was a huge spark for the Cavaliers during the 2016 NBA Finals. When his team needed him the most, he stepped up with a tremendous effort, logging 24 minutes per game on average while averaging 5.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
At the age of 36, it’s easy to understand why he would want to hang it up after 14 seasons in the NBA. But in the face of so many supporters he couldn’t resist the urge to stick around for one more season.
Unless, of course, he was just saying yes to appease them.