LeBron James returns to Cleveland in what could be his last game at Rocket Arena. In the game, the Cavaliers honored him with a first-quarter tribute video recognizing his role in delivering the 2016 NBA championship.
Cleveland then dominated the L.A. Lakers 129-99, but the post-game attention turned when Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson made a bold statement about Donovan Mitchell during a live /session.
Jaylon Tyson Clarifies “Donovan Mitchell’s City” Remark After Cavs Honor LeBron James
The moment came as Donovan Mitchell spoke with ESPN’s Jorge Sedano after the win. Before Mitchell could answer a question about James, Tyson stepped in and said, “This is Donovan Mitchell’s city now… This is his city.”
Mitchell smiled at the comment, but later struck a respectful tone when discussing James.
“At the end of the day, he laid the foundation; they’ve done a lot for the city,” Mitchell said during the on-court interview. “We are trying to find ways to go out there and bring the city another championship.”
Because the Cavaliers had just honoured James, many fans online considered Tyson’s timing disrespectful. James remains the key player in franchise history and still dominates Cleveland’s basketball identity.
Tyson addressed the situation later that night during the post-game news conference, where he shared it with Mitchell. He made it clear that he did not intend to diminish James’ legacy and apologised.
“There was no disrespect there. I didn’t want to disrespect or step on anyone’s toes. Bron is one of the greatest players ever to play the game,” Tyson said in the post-game press conference. “If I offended anybody, I’m sorry. I just wanted to give Don his flowers.”
Jaylon Tyson apologized after the game for his comments about LeBron:
“There was no disrespect there. Bron is one of the greatest players to ever play the game…If I offended anyone, I’m sorry.”
THE BLACK SUVs PULLED UP 😂🤣
pic.twitter.com/HJbfndC1T2 https://t.co/RM6qXxBb4u— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) January 29, 2026
After Tyson’s comment broke the internet, fans began giving different reactions:
A fan mocked him, “He has nothing to apologise for. D*ckriders went too far yet again.”
Another said, “He didn’t want to get thrown out of the league.”
Another folk said, “Klutch pulled over to put the gun to his mouth.”
Another fan said, “That boy is trade bait now and doesn’t even know it.”
One more fan said, “Buddy young and just got caught up in the moment.”
Mitchell scored 25 points. And Tyson finished with 20 points and six assists while spending time on the defensive end matched up with James. Cleveland’s win continued its strong run in the Eastern Conference.
The backlash explains the strong headline language, but Tyson responded immediately and publicly showed respect to James while supporting his teammate.
