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How Cavs first-time All-Star Evan Mobley has made his lifelong coach and dad say, 'Whoa!'
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- How Cavs first-time All-Star Evan Mobley has made his lifelong coach and dad say, 'Whoa!'
CLEVELAND — Eric Mobley remembers washing dishes at his family's house in Murrieta, California, roughly a decade ago when his youngest son, Evan , approached him.
The elder Mobley , who stands 6 feet, 7 inches, suddenly realized the eighth grader had just about equaled him in height.
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The proud father surrounded by soapsuds let an epiphany about his son's basketball future soak into his mind.
"I knew it was going to be special," Eric Mobley told the Beacon Journal during a recent phone interview.
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There is no disputing Evan Mobley has become an exceptional player at the sport's highest level. The rise of the 23-year-old Cavaliers forward will be recognized on the national stage when the 7-footer debuts as an NBA All-Star this weekend at Chase Center in San Francisco.
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Mobley and Cavaliers All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell will join forces for the skills challenge Saturday night, when Cavs All-Star point guard Darius Garland will also participate in the 3-point contest. Mobley, Mitchell and Garland will then play in the league's new All-Star Game mini-tournament Sunday night. First-year Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson and one of his assistants will guide two of the four tournament teams.
Eric Mobley conceded he became "a little teary-eyed" while he watched the unveiling of All-Star reserves Jan. 30 on TNT. Evan Mobley, in his fourth season since the Cavs drafted him third overall in 2021, had received his first All-Star nod.
"I'm just excited," said Eric Mobley, who coached his sons, Evan and Isaiah , for most of their lives. "The whole process just from day one of him starting to play basketball and getting to the point where he's at now, it was just so shocking to me. It was like, 'Whoa!' I still remember when he was in middle school, a skinny, lanky kid."
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) looks to shoot against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland.
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Evan Mobley received a congratulatory text message from his dad right after being named an Eastern Conference All-Star and shortly before the Cavs tipped off against the Atlanta Hawks in what became a 137-115 win during Cleveland's historic season.
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Mitchell was voted an All-Star starter by fans, a media panel and NBA players. Mobley and Garland were chosen as All-Star reserves by the league's 30 head coaches. Mitchell will play on an All-Star Game tournament team drafted by NBA legend Charles Barkley. Mobley and Garland will be teammates on a squad picked by Barkley's fellow "Inside the NBA" commentator Kenny Smith, a two-time champion with the Houston Rockets .
As a child, Mobley often discussed reaching the NBA during conversations with his dad. Once Mobley joined the Cavs, those heart-to-heart talks shifted to him becoming an All-Star. When Mobley achieved the goal, he reflected on his father's role in his hoops journey, which began at the age of 4.
"All the days when I was younger, just him coaching me and working on fundamentals and doing little drills here and there to help me get to where I'm at today and him having this belief, he had this dream as well," Mobley told the Beacon Journal.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) shoots a 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 9, 2025, in Cleveland.
Brothers Isaiah and Evan Mobley received coaching from their father, Eric, long before their college basketball days at USC
Eric Mobley coached his sons in recreational and AAU basketball as well as youth soccer. Evan is 21 months younger than Isaiah, 25, a second-round draft pick of the Cavs in 2022 who's now with the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers .
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As the University of Southern California recruited the Mobley brothers out of Rancho Christian School in Temecula, California, former Trojans coach Andy Enfield grew to appreciate the way Eric Mobley taught his sons basketball. USC hired him as an assistant coach a year before Isaiah Mobley arrived on campus. Eric Mobley spent six seasons working for Enfield at USC, coaching Isaiah there for three seasons and Evan for one.
Eric Mobley and Enfield are still together in the same capacities this season at Southern Methodist University.
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Southern California forward Isaiah Mobley (3) celebrates after a dunk with forward Evan Mobley (4) against Arizona State on Feb. 17, 2021, in Los Angeles, California.
A 1986 graduate of Helix High School in La Mesa, California, Eric Mobley played college basketball at Portland and Cal Poly Pomona. He competed professionally in Portugal, Mexico and Indonesia and as a player in the World Basketball League. When his sons were young, he remained active in leagues and tournaments on the Southern California hoops scene, and the kids would routinely help him train on a court in their backyard.
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"Evan would rebound, and Isaiah would pass it to me, and I would get up my 100 shots or whatever it was," Eric Mobley said. "They also wanted to get involved. They wanted to get shots in, too, so I would incorporate them as well. And at times, I would just tell them, 'No, you guys can't shoot today 'cause you guys ain't mentally ready for it,' just play little mind games with them."
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The tough love paid off.
"I always emphasized fundamentals, and I always taught them to play the right way," Eric Mobley said. "That's the thing about Evan — he's not a selfish player. He tries to get everybody involved."
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Eric Mobley watches the Cavs whenever they play. When there are scheduling conflicts with SMU, he records Cleveland's games and catches up as soon as possible. And he still offers his All-Star son advice.
"He's always been my coach my whole life," Evan Mobley said. "Now I'm getting a little older, so he just throws his 2 cents out every so often."
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket past Utah Jazz center Micah Potter (25) on Dec. 23, 2024, in Cleveland.
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The fundamentals Mobley learned growing up have translated to him dominating as a defender since the infancy of his NBA career. His ascent on offense this season is among the main reasons the Cavs (44-10) sit atop the Eastern Conference standings at the All-Star break.
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Mobley's 3-point shooting and ballhandling have dramatically improved, and he has frequently attacked defenses with ferocity. In 48 games, he's averaging a career-high 18.5 points on 56.9% shooting from the field (a career-best 37.8% on 3-pointers), 9.1 rebounds, three assists, 1.5 blocked shots and 0.9 steals in 30 minutes.
Mobley leads the Cavs in plus-minus rating, with Cleveland outscoring its opponents by 9.2 points when he's on the court. His 14.6 net rating ranks fourth among all NBA players. Only one All-Star has a better net rating: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , who leads the league in the metric.
"[Mobley] plays the game the right way, makes winning plays on both ends, and he's improved every year," Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert told the Beacon Journal. "So I'm happy that he got selected for the All-Star [Game]. I think he deserves it.
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"I think he's physically gotten stronger, and I think he has been more aggressive this year offensively. And, defensively, he's having a really good impact on his team."
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb 10. 2025, in Cleveland.
Eric Mobley explained he's not surprised by Evan's 3-point shooting this season because Atkinson has been determined "to empower him and encourage him to take 3s." Eric Mobley also cited Evan gaining physical and mental maturity as important factors. He has made 51 of 135 3s through his 48 games this season. His previous single-season career highs for made 3s and attempts were 23 as a rookie in 2021-22 and 102 in 2022-23, respectively.
Last season, former Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff urged Mobley to rebound and push the ball in transition. Atkinson has prioritized the strategy this season, and Mobley has looked increasingly smooth while doing it.
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"He was always a point guard, so he's always had the handles," Eric Mobley said. "It's just that as he got taller, he's got to get lower. That's just developing his hips and hip flexors and core and constantly working on that.
"You're going to get bumped. The thing about Evan, his rookie year and his second year, he would reverse spin and fumble it. He's still fumbles today, but it's not as much as his rookie year and second year."
New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) defend Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) in the second quarter of Game 1 of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Old Cavs playoff nemesis Isaiah Hartenstein sees differences in Evan Mobley's game this season
Mobley receives tutoring from trainer Olin Simplis on ballhandling techniques. This past offseason, Mobley dedicated himself to track workouts under the guidance of trainer Paul Fabritz in an effort to sharpen his footwork.
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The commitment has been evident.
"He's definitely better," Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, who helped the New York Knicks eliminate the Cavs from the playoffs in 2023, told the Beacon Journal. "He's definitely shooting the ball better, maybe a little bit more physical than the past, so I think that's something he's improved on, for sure."
Mobley missed four games in January with a calf strain and endured its aftereffects in some subsequent outings. After scoring just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field in a Feb. 4 loss to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics , Mobley bounced back with 30, 27 and 28 points in wins over the Detroit Pistons , Washington Wizards and Timberwolves. He collected 12 points and 15 rebounds Wednesday in Cleveland's 131-108 win at the Toronto Raptors .
"He's being more aggressive," Eric Mobley said. "I've been calling for that since he got into the league."
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The call has been answered, and the All-Star spotlight awaits.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Evan Mobley wows dad, lifelong coach with rise as NBA All-Star
