Why Donovan Mitchell Apologized to Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill

Donovan Mitchell represented Cleveland Cavaliers four times at NBA All-Star Weekendcompeting in his third career 3-Point Contest and second as a member of the Wine and Gold. Both times he paid respect to his teammates by wearing jersey numbers. In 2024 it was Sam Merrill’s number 5. On Saturday, it was Jaylon Tyson’s No. 20.

Mitchell came out swinging in Los Angeles, posting a 24 in the first round. He started perfectly from the right corner and knocked down 9 of his first 10 greens. Unfortunately, his momentum slowed after the break, missing his two chances from the log. Mitchell put his money ball to the left wing and went just 2 of 5. Still, the veteran finished strong from the left corner and nailed 4 of 5, most importantly, the remaining money ball.

After the first round of 27 finalist Kon Knuepel, Mitchell looked to be in a great position to break into the top three and compete for the win. No one could match or surpass the Cavs’ prominence until Devin Booker, who put on a show with 30.

Then it was Damian Lillard’s turn to close the court, and despite not playing a single game this season, it was officially Dame Time. Wearing Portland Trail Blazers colors for the first time since 2023, Lillard matched Knuppel’s 27.

Mitchell couldn’t believe it when he was eliminated from the final round by the final two contestants. He took to X/Twitter to apologize to both Tyson and Meryl comes up short.

I failed everything @smerrill05 @jailontison my apologies 🥺

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) February 14, 2026

“I let you all down,” Mitchell wrote. “Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, I’m sorry.

That might be a little too much on his shoulders, even if it’s for fun, but Mitchell is a great sport and an even better teammate. Wearing a Tyson jersey two years after rocking the “Money Merrill” version of Sam’s theme on the national stage shows what he’s all about.

Maybe his boys should have been on that stage with him.

Merrill is statistically the best shooter for high volume catches from distance in the NBA, and his season percentage is 47.2% in over seven attempts per game. Tyson actually has a better overall shot (47.5%) on more than four attempts on the night. Mitchell leads the league with a total of 185 three-pointers.

In 2024, Mitchell scored 21 goals in the first round, not enough to reach the final three. Lillard won there.

No matter who was there Saturday, history would repeat itself as Lillard won the third NBA 3-point contest of his career.

Dame joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to accomplish the feat.