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Tyson only meant to compliment his teammate.
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Jaylon Tyson of the Cleveland Cavaliers quickly had to backtrack and apologize after making a massive, viral declaration that seemed to disrespect LeBron James right after the Cavs crushed the Los Angeles Lakers. The second-year swingman found himself in the press room needing to clarify his intentions after a moment of intense loyalty led him to claim that the city of Cleveland belonged to Donovan Mitchell now, not to “The King.”
Tyson was clear that his comments were focused solely on uplifting his current leader, not tearing down a legend. He clarified his comments in the post-game press conference after the Cavaliers toppled the Lakers, 129-99, to improve to a 29-20 record.
According to Clutchpoints, Tyson said, “There was no disrespect there.” He spoke about how James is obviously “one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” and admitted that he was actually a Cavs fan growing up because of LeBron.
Tyson was just being appreciative of his teammate
Tyson insisted his only goal was to give his teammate, Mitchell, “his flowers.” He added, “And if I offended anybody or anybody got mad about it, I’m sorry. I take personal responsibility, but I just wanted to give the man his flowers because we want to do the same thing that Bron and them did here. We want to do that with him as our leader.”
The moment that sparked the need for an apology came immediately after the Cavaliers dominated the Lakers in a blowout win, which many believe could have been James’ final game playing in his hometown crowd. During a joint postgame interview, the All-Star guard was also asked about the atmosphere and what James means to the area.
“Can I say something? This is Donovan Mitchell’s city now,” Tyson declared during the interview. He went on to say that when LeBron comes back, the team will make sure that everybody roots for Mitchell “like they did for [LeBron].” That’s a fiery statement, especially considering James is responsible for bringing Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.
Standing right next to him during the interview, Mitchell was appreciative of his teammate’s support but was quick to offer proper props to James, who was emotional throughout the game. Mitchell acknowledged the historical context, saying, “At the end of the day, he’s laid the foundation.”
Mitchell affirmed that he and the current Cavaliers absolutely want to replicate the success James achieved. He understands the lasting connection James has with the area, noting that James deserves the energy he gets in Cleveland because he and the previous team “done a lot for the city, being from here.”
“Obviously, we want to replicate that,” Mitchell said, making it clear that the current team is trying to bring the city another championship, even if they’re doing it differently. Mitchell knows how much Tyson’s support means, stating that having “support like that from your teammates, it means the world.”
Tyson is known for his fearlessness and willingness to ruffle a few feathers, though his primary intention here was clearly to uplift his current leader, Mitchell, rather than disrespect the former one. It definitely helps that Tyson backed up his talk on the court, considering he was one of the standout players during the team’s massive win against Los Angeles on Wednesday.