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'This is Donovan Mitchell's city now.' Cavs' Jaylon Tyson gives props
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- 'This is Donovan Mitchell's city now.' Cavs' Jaylon Tyson gives props
CLEVELAND — The city of Cleveland might have a new face of The Land, according to one Cavaliers players.
On Jan. 28, the Cavaliers dominated the Los Angeles Lakers in a 129-99 win at Rocket Arena in what may have been Akron native LeBron James ' last game in Cleveland. James was emotional on the bench during a first-quarter tribute video for him played during a timeout .
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James has been known as the face of Cleveland since bringing the city an NBA championship in 2016 and has been featured on many iconic banners across the city.
After the Cavs win, guard Donovan Mitchell joined ESPN's Jorge Sedano for a postgame interview. Mitchell, who scored 25 points in the game, was asked about James' impact on the city and franchise.
But guard Jaylon Tyson had a few words to share before Mitchell could respond.
"This is Donovan Mitchell 's city now," Tyson said. "When he comes back here, we are going to make sure everybody roots for him like they did for him [James]. This is his city."
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Mitchell chuckled and said he appreciated that.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) on Jan, 28, 2026, in Cleveland.
"At the end of the day, he [James] laid the foundation; they've done a lot for the city," Mitchell said. "Obviously, you want to replicate that, so he deserves the energy he's got here. We are trying to find ways to go out there and bring the city another championship. When you got support like that from your teammates it means the world."
Afterward, Mitchell and Tyson joined each other for a postgame news conference. Tyson mentioned the comment he made wasn't meant to be disrespectful and apologized if anyone took it that way. He said he just wanted to give Mitchell his flowers.
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"There was no disrespect there. I didn't want to disrespect nor step on anyone's toes. That's one of the greatest players ever to play the game," Tyson said of James. "I was a Cavs fan growing up because of him. I didn't want to take away that from him. I just wanted to give Don his flowers. That was my biggest goal in it.
"If I offended anybody, I'm sorry. We want to do the same thing that Bron and them did here. We want to do that with him [Mitchell] as our leader."
Since being acquired in a trade by the Cavs, Mitchell has joined James a few times in the Cavs' record book. He already is in second place behind James for most 40-points games in Cavs history. James has 51, and Mitchell has 24.
During the game, Tyson was matched up with James. Tyson was able to play solid defense versus James and ended the night with 20 points and six assists.
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"I look at it as another opportunity when I was given that matchup," Tyson said. "I said, 'All right. I don't fear nobody.' I just go out there and be who I am and try to make it as difficult as possible."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs guard Jaylon Tyson praises teammate Donovan Mitchell after win
