Donovan Mitchell turns NBA 2K troll into motivation

If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to give Donovan Mitchell a little extra pregame motivation, just have someone talk trash at him on NBA 2K.

Mitchell went off Wednesday night, leading Cleveland to a 132-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers with 46 points while shooting more than 70 percent from the field.

After the game Mitchell told reporters he didn’t do it for the home crowd in Cleveland, he didn’t do it to make a point against Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers. He did it for the troll he spent hours playing NBA 2K against earlier in the day.

It’s impossible not to like @spidadmitchell.

He’s basically one of us — getting pissed off at random people online — except he’s also one of the 10 best basketball players on the planet. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/mn6NCJ5HEQ

— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) November 6, 2025

“I wouldn’t put the game that I had based on the court. This kid pissed me off today, I was playing 2K,” Mitchell revealed. “I had been playing 2K for two hours and I told him too, I was like, ‘Wait, just wait.’ He called me washed up he called me a bunch of things.

“But I love it. He said he hadn’t seen a highlight from me in a minute and I just told him, alright, we’ll see. He told me to go to sleep, he was going in. So, this game was for that kid or grown man, whoever that was. I appreciate you. I told him I would give him a shoutout too. That’s what tonight was.”

As much as Donovan Mitchell gave the person props for motivating him, the NBA All-Star stopped short at revealing their username. But be on the lookout for video from their game, because Mitchell assumes his new rival clipped it to share online.

What a cool moment for whoever it was who was trolling Mitchell before his Wednesday night game. And kudos to Mitchell for not playing under an alias. But the real story here is that it may have unlocked something for the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell moving forward.

Not everyone can be as spiteful as Michael Jordan and motivate themselves by creating false narratives and storylines. But if Mitchell leaves a 2K game with a trash talker seeking vengeance on the actual court, then Cleveland should make sure he’s playing 2K against a troll before every big game. Game 7 of a playoff series? Just have Mitchell prepare by getting trash talked on 2K and the Cavaliers should be just fine.