Cavs’ Jaylon Tyson Praises Donovan Mitchell With Subtle Jab at LeBron James

Much of the story at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena Wednesday night was the return of LeBron James in what could be the 41-year-old star’s final game in front of his hometown crowd. The game between the Lakers and Cavaliers got emotional for James as he mulls his future. Cleveland came out on top 129-99, though, and Cavs second-year guard Jaylon Tyson ensured Donovan Mitchell got his praise.

Mitchell, a top-five scorer across the NBA, led Cleveland with 25 points on the night. Tyson scored 20 points himself along with a team-high six assists as the Cavs blew out the Lakers by 30. As the pair was interviewed following the win, Tyson made a big statement when Mitchell was asked about playing in potentially the last game for James in Cleveland.

“Can I say something?” Tyson asked on the ESPN broadcast. “This is Donovan Mitchell’s city now, it’s Donovan Mitchell’s city now. When he comes back here, we’re going to make sure that everybody roots for him like they did for [James]. This is his city.”

"This is Donovan Mitchell's city now."

Jaylon Tyson giving Spida props after beating LeBron and the Lakers 😅 pic.twitter.com/CwFSCl9QkR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 29, 2026

Quite the statement, which Mitchell may have wanted his teammate to keep to himself based on his reaction. When responding to the question, the Cavs’ star guard praised James’s greatness and all he’s done for the franchise over his two stints with the team.

“As much as I appreciate that,” Mitchell followed. “At the end of the day, [James] laid the foundation. He’s done a lot for the city being from here, obviously we want to replicate that. He deserves the energy he’s got here. At the end of the day, first title in 50-some years, for us we’re trying to do it, obviously differently, but we’re trying to find ways to go out there and bring the city another championship.”

Mitchell appreciated the high praise from Tyson, but it’s certainly a heavy comparison in relation to Cleveland’s hometown hero and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader who became the first player to eclipse 60,000 career minutes Wednesday.

Tyson cleared the air in his postgame press conference, mentioning his only goal was to praise his teammate with no disrespect toward James intended.

“That’s one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” he said to reporters. “I was a Cavs fan growing up because of [James]. I didn’t want to take away from him, but I just wanted to give Donovan his flowers, that was my biggest goal in it. If I offended anybody or anybody got mad about it I’m sorry, I take personal responsibility. But I just wanted to give [Mitchell] his flowers because we want to do the same thing that Bron and them did with [Mitchell] as our leader.”

As for James, he remains undecided about his future as he plays out his record 23rd NBA season. After the game, he acknowledged that he could have just played his last game in Cleveland.

"Every road arena I'm in, I try to take everything in and not take any moments for granted," James said postgame. "It could be [my last game in Cleveland]. Obviously, I haven't made a decision on the future, but it very well could be. ... Obviously it means a little more here personally because I grew up 35 minutes south of here."

All options are on the table, even a potential return to Cleveland to put a bow on his legendary career which the Cavs would reportedly be open to. Tyson’s postgame comment was certainly playful with no ill will intended, but it would make for interesting fodder should a reunion for a potential third stint with the Cavs for James come to fruition.

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