Cleveland Cavaliers center Thomas Bryant thought everything was going well for him on Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs snapped their three-game skid with a 139-132 win over the Hornets, with Donovan Mitchell leading the team with his 30-point outing. However, one moment has been etched in the minds of NBA fans.
In the first quarter, Bryant had a mismatch in the post. Rookie forward Kon Knueppel was guarding the center in the post. Seeing an easy bucket, the 2023 champion asked for the ball and scored over Knueppel. He taunted the rookie and did the “too small” celebration. Unfortunately for the big man, his moment was ruined after he tripped on his way to the other end of the court.
Thomas Bryant was doing the “too small” celebration and then tripped. 🤣🤣
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 23, 2025
Fans did not hold back and roasted him on X (formerly Twitter).
“Karma’s got quick feet too! 😂” a fan said.
“that’s some serious injustice haha,” another fan commented.
“Shaqtin a fool on a too small celly is crazy work 🤣” one fan said.
Shaqtin a fool on a too small celly is crazy work 🤣
— 𓃵🌟🎄 (@FearedReaves) December 23, 2025
“Thomas Bryant plays 3 mpg for 5 different teams 🤣🤣” someone commented.
“The aura after that play… it’s over. Pack it up,” a comment read.
“Accurate depiction of the Cavs season so far,” one fan joked.
In the end, Bryant had a decent game for the Cavaliers off the bench. He had 10 points on 80% shooting. This season, the big man has appeared in 22 games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds.
Pressure is mounting on the Cavaliers’ head coach
Last season, coach Kenny Atkinson turned things around for the Cavaliers in his first season. They were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 record. Coming into the new campaign, a similar level of success was expected. However, things have not gone well for the group as they are 16-14.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, pressure has started to mount on Atkinson, as the Cavs’ struggles continue.
“I’ve been hearing rumbles in coaching circles for weeks, amazingly, that pressure is indeed mounting on Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson,” Stein reported.
The Cavs were a perennial title contender before the season started. However, injuries and underperformance have been their major issues, which haven’t been solved. On top of that, Cleveland doesn’t have a tough schedule lately, according to LandOfBasketball.com.
