In case you haven’t heard, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the hottest team in basketball. And when asked to explain the secret behind his team’s success, center Jarrett Allen coined a new catchphrase.
“Ethical basketball.”
Allen first uttered the term following the Cavs’ New Year’s Eve victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and it’s caught on ever since. Sure, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson has no idea what his star center is talking about. But there’s something undeniably cool about referring to your particular brand of basketball as “ethical,” even if it’s something that can’t quite be defined.
After the Cavs extended their current winning streak to 12 games and their overall record to an NBA-best 33-4 with a 132-126 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night, FanDuel Sports Network Great Lakes sideline reporter Serena Winters did her best to crack the code. Approaching Allen in the Cleveland locker room, Winters asked the 2022 All-Star selection to once again describe “Cavs basketball.”
“Defense, moving the ball, and a lot of energy,” Allen answered.
“Should it also be ethical?” Winters followed up.
“Absolutely,” Allen confirmed.
Winters proceeded to ask the question that’s been on every Cavs fan’s mind through the first week-plus of 2025: What does it mean to play ethical basketball?
“Farm-raised, non-GMO, organic,” Allen answered. “Free range — you know, ethical basketball.”
“I think we’re all still going to be confused after that, although we definitely appreciate it,” Winters replied.
The follow-up we’ve all been waiting for h/t @SerenaWinters:
SW: “The people want to know what that actually means (ethical basketball)?”
JA: “Farm raised, non-GMO, organic, ya know… free range, you know ethical basketball.”
SW: “I think we’re all going to still be confused.” https://t.co/TL5M7NkM4P pic.twitter.com/4HtBwLpeju
— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) January 10, 2025
Give Winters credit — she did her best to get the answer to the question her audience wanted most. And while we still might not have a clear-cut definition of what “ethical basketball” actually means, it’s almost better that way, as whatever it is clearly seems to be working for the Cavs.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.