A popular Michigan State basketball legend was back in East Lansing on Friday, checking in on his former program for which he won several titles.
I bet Tom Izzo was thrilled to have him back and I’d bet he had him speak to the team.
Cassius Winston returned to East Lansing on Friday to visit Izzo and the Spartans and to check out his old stomping grounds. It’s also nice to see him back after there were concerns about Malik Hall and him playing overseas in Israel during the war.
Now he’s back at Michigan State to spread his infectious smile and hang with Izzo and the players.
Cash in the building 💚 pic.twitter.com/6XdjkSBknY
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) June 26, 2026
Cassius spent the past season with Hapoel Jerusalem and has bounced around between a few teams since his NBA career essentially ended back in 2022. He didn’t quite stick with the Washington Wizards, but everyone’s favorite 2010s point guard took his talents overseas.
Obviously we would have all loved to see him work out in the NBA, but having a long career overseas can be a pretty lucrative career path.
Jeremy Fears should be picking his brain until he leaves campus.
It’s time to retire Cassius Winston’s number
This is a pretty popular opinion among Michigan State fans and I’ve seen the sentiment shared on social media on Friday after the official Twitter account posted the picture of Cassius.
And everyone is right: it’s time to retire Cassius’ number.
The last Spartan to wear the No. 5 after Cassius was Tre Holloman and he left a bad taste in a lot of fans’ mouths with his sudden departure before his senior year. Holloman is even more proof that no one else should wear the No. 5 at Michigan State so they don’t further damage its image. It’s been six years since Winston left Michigan State so I think it’s about time for a jersey retirement.
It took seven years after Draymond Green graduated for Michigan State to retire his No. 23, so it’s about time the conversation begins about the No. 5.
Not many Spartans have the resume that Cassius has and he’s also the school’s all-time assists leader. His legacy would likely even be further solidified if the 2020 NCAA Tournament didn’t get canceled — Michigan State was a title favorite entering March Madness that year. Cassius not only leads all Spartans in career assists, but he was just 31 points shy of 2,000 for his career, he won a Big Ten Player of the Year award, was named a two-time All-American, won three Big Ten titles, and made a Final Four after beating one of the best Duke teams ever.
Michigan State should have retired Cassius’ number yesterday.
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