- Jason Kelce announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday afternoon.
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The NBA’s Cavaliers revealed their Kelce Brother dolls ahead of Tuesday’s game against the visiting Boston Celtics, where Cleveland-area natives Jason and Travis will be on hand to raise funds for local schools.
Jason, the former Philadelphia Eagles center, announced his retirement yesterday.
Cleveland gave away dolls of each brother and there were also exclusive Kelce/Cavs merchandise for sale, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting local schools.
The brothers are Cleveland Heights natives and lifelong fans of their hometown Cavaliers, who beat Boston 105-104 on Tuesday.
Both Kelce dolls wear blue Cavs jerseys with their respective NFL football jersey numbers, number 87 for Travis and number 62 for Jason.
The NFL brothers will be honored by their hometown NBA team at Tuesday night’s game.
Travis and Jason Kelce are expected to attend Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics tonight
Although Jason always saw himself destined for the football field, Travis briefly considered a career in college basketball.
Kelce’s younger brother, a former high school basketball star at Cleveland Heights, received Division I basketball scholarship offers before committing to play football for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
“West Virginia is where I wanted to play basketball,” Jason said in December, revealing that he almost accepted a scholarship to play for now-former Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins, who coincidentally previously coached in Cincinnati.
Travis also adopted his nickname, Big Yeti, while playing basketball at UC.
“For me, it’s all about the Big Yeti,” Jason said on the couple’s New Heights podcast in October 2022 when asked about his brother’s favorite nicknames. “Big Yeti is the best nickname you’ve ever had.”
As Travis explained in 2022, he was a harrier in Cincinnati from 2008-2012.
“He had a big beard, he had long hair, he had hair on his chest, his back, his arms and his legs,” Travis said.
‘I was just a big Yeti, man. All my friends on the court called me ‘Big Yeti,’ especially because I was a low post player, so I was down there giving work, giving work in the post.
Travis (left) and Jason (right) Kelce are pictured during their college days in Cincinnati.
Cleveland will still be without Donovan Mitchell (R) due to a bone bruise in his left knee.
The Kelce brothers’ visit comes at an important time for Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff’s team.
The Cavs are third in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 39-21, while the Celtics are the undisputed leaders at 48-12.
Boston is on an 11-game winning streak and has won eight in a row on the road.
The Celtics put together their most impressive half of the season on Sunday when they built a 44-point halftime lead en route to a 140-88 home victory over Golden State.
Tuesday’s game will be the start of a five-game road trip that will also take Boston to games against Denver, Phoenix, Portland and Utah.
Cleveland is coming off Sunday night’s 107-98 loss to the New York Knicks.
The Cavaliers were without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who missed the last two games with a bone bruise in his left knee.
Mitchell will miss at least three more games, including tonight’s game against Boston after receiving a PRP injection in his injured knee.
