Jaylon Tyson will be part of the NBA All-Star weekend, earning the honor

Jaylon Tyson will represent Cleveland Cavaliers at the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles as part of the Castrol Rising Stars Game. The rookie, sophomore and G League team rosters were announced Monday night. The Cavs’ second-year swingman wasn’t part of last year’s showcase, so this is recognition a testament to the work Tyson has put in.

“He didn’t play much last year, so we’re just kind of like, ‘Who is this guy?’ going into the season,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said with a laugh Monday before the Rising Stars were officially announced. “He built capital. That confidence started in summer league, and then he just built it with his work.”

“I’d give him most of the credit, and I’d give our vets another part of the credit because they, especially Donovan (Mitchell), believed in him from day one. … I think when your superstar (teammate) believes in you, that’s even more important than when your coach believes in you.”

Tyson is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and just under one steal per game. He is shooting 51.3% from the field, including a top-five shot from three (46.2%). He is too established a relationship with Mitchell in the game of two as the year progressed.

It’s a marked improvement over Tyson’s rookie season overall, and going from playing less than 10 minutes a night to a 28-minute average is a huge increase.

“I never in the world expected to play him 35 minutes a game like we did,” Atkinson said. “You’ve got A, B and C; that wasn’t in the equation. So that speaks more to the confidence we have in him now. … You never feel like he’s tired. I never look at him like, ‘He looks tired. You have to throw him out.”

“He’s relentless with his habits, and it translates. This guy, you treat him like a 10-year veteran. This is pretty amazing.”

Tyson will join 10 others from his 2024 NBA draft class, including Matas Buzzelis, Stephon Castle, Donovan Klingan, Keyshawn George, Ajayi Mitchell, Jalen Wells, Alex Sarr, Reed Shepard, Cam Spencer and Kel’el Ware. There are 10 total players selected from the class of 2025 who will represent the rookies, and all 21 NBA players were selected by assistant coaches around the league. The Rising Star Draft will take place on Tuesday, during which teams will select their rosters.

The Rising Stars game will be the tip-off for the All-Star festivities on Friday, February 13, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.