Donovan Mitchell calls Minnesota shootings ‘BS’

When it comes to tragedies in Minnesota, Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell it does not ask people to choose political sides. He advocates for all of humanity to look inward to process what is happening in the current climate.

“It’s violence. Senseless violence,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of those things where there’s a human element to all of this, isn’t there? We were there for the first incident (where an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good), and then to see it happen again, it’s like it’s become the norm. It’s become something that, frankly, I don’t feel like any of us are here as a ‘normal thing’. It shouldn’t be.

“We’re in this bubble as NBA players; we’re removed. But by the same token, when you were there in Minnesota when it happened, it really made you open your eyes because you’re there. You feel it. It’s 10 minutes away. We were locked in a hotel. You can just feel the people of Minnesota, the feeling of the families. It’s simple.”

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell joined the rest of the NBA community in sharing his thoughts on the situation in Minnesota.

Think his message here is one anyone can sign on to. pic.twitter.com/2vdm2lVrKF

— 𝙶𝚊𝚛𝚎 (@Spencito_) January 27, 2026

The National Association of Basketball Players published a statement on the occasion on Monday afternoon Local protester Alex Pretty was killed by ICE over the weekend, preceded by Goode’s death just weeks earlier in the same city. Outside of Minneapolis, a Los Angeles man named Keith Porter was killed by an off-duty ICE officer on New Year’s Eve, sparking a nationwide outcry to demand accountability.

“I see ‘Oh, it’s foreign.’ Like, no, it’s the human element,” said Mitchell, the NBPA vice president. “The human part that, I’m trying not to swear, hits me, you know what I’m saying? There’s so much craziness, like, ‘Oh, it’s this. It’s that.’ It’s like, no, let’s be human. What about that? That’s what’s scary. It’s not right. It’s not right that it’s happening all the time, and it’s not right that it’s been desensitized the way it is.”

During his response to Cleveland.com, he beat reporter Ethan Sands, Mitchell felt compelled to address another sad situation involving a five-year-old boy, Liam Ramos. He and his father, who have pending asylum claims, were detained and sent to family detention in Dilley, Texas.

“I even saw a little kid,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know the whole (story), but I saw a little kid who was on his own. Like, what about the human side of that? He’s a kid on his own, no parents. I feel like we’re losing that in all of this, you know what I mean? That’s what for us, for us as a family, is alarming, disheartening.

“I don’t know the whole situation of the people who were killed, but I know this is BS. It’s BS. That’s just my take on it. I’m praying for the families affected by it, I’m praying for everyone affected by it, and I’m praying we figure this out because it’s out of our control. It’s something we need to figure out soon. And we just hope it becomes the norm. It’s crazy. It can’t be who we are as a country.

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson also had his say on the matter before the team’s game on Monday.

“We’re aware,” Atkinson said. “It’s really tragic for the community, for the families. You just feel the whole situation. We’re definitely aware of what’s going on. The violence, personally, I try to put in a box there, but I know it’s part of this world. You have to have empathy for what’s going on in that community and for the families.”