Timofey Mozgov Admits He Wasn’t Invited to Cavaliers’ 2016 Championship Reunion

Timofey Mozgov made an honest confession after missing out on Cavs reunion tour.

Timofey Mozgov Admits He Wasn’t Invited to Cavaliers’ 2016 Championship Reunion

Timofey Mozgov (Image credits - Firstsportz)

The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship reunion is getting a lot more attention than the players would have anticipated. The reunion in Europe last week saw several stars from the championship-winning squad, such as LeBron James, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson, Kevin Love and Channing Frye.

The most notable absentee was Kyrie Irving. A lot of noise started circulating regarding Irving’s relationship with his former teammates. But there was another player who was not present at the reunion – Timofey Mozgov.

The former Russian star, who spent two seasons with the Cavs, revealed that he was not even invited by his former teammates to the trip.

I saw the video of that party. No one wrote or called me. If I was invited, I’d have gladly joined. I’d have loved to be there, too, to drink some wine.

Timofey Mozgov in an interview with Sports Express

Timofey Mozgov was more of a role player and featured off the bench during their championship run. While he started 48 out of the 76 appearances he made in the 2015-16 regular season, he saw his minutes drop in the postseason. He averaged 5.8 minutes per game in 13 appearances in the playoffs in 2016.

It is a sad moment for the Russian center, especially considering all the talks regarding Kyrie Irving‘s absence. JR Smith did light up a fire when he said a player ghosted them after getting an invitation. Many assumed that it was Irving, but the nine-time All-Star dismissed the fake narratives created by the media. It was also later revealed that Irving missed the reunion due to prior commitments.

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Richard Jefferson was not sure if he would be able to go

The New York Knicks grabbed the headlines after lifting their first championship in 53 years, but no matter the occasion, the spotlight will be on LeBron James in some way or another. The reunion was hosted by James, and it was later revealed that the players in it were from a group chat.

Another member of the championship-winning squad was Richard Jefferson. Jefferson revealed that the planning of the trip began in a group chat and didn’t include everyone on the roster. 

I wasn’t even sure if I was gonna go. I wasn’t doing the RSVP’s and the invites. Lot of the guys got reached out to. This is the part that gets a little muddled. It was the group chat from the championship team, not the championship team group chat. So there’s a difference in context. We were the old heads.

Richard Jefferson on Road Trippin Show

It looks like a lot of the talks were blown out of proportion. The reunion wasn’t particularly meant to be a 2016 Cavs reunion. The people in the group chat just happened to be friends from the championship team.

Kyrie Irving was invited to the reunion

Richard Jefferson revealed that while Kyrie Irving is not a part of the group chat, he did receive an invitation. Irving was seen mentoring at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in South Carolina and visiting local high schools in New Jersey during the reunion and, hence, was not able to make it.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving (Image credits – NBA France/X)

Jefferson mentioned that other players not in the group chat were invited after the plan was made.

So then we start doing, ‘Hey guys, we should get together, do some golf, and go do this.’ It takes a lot to get a plan out of the group chat, just in general, with the people there. The next step was adding in more people. We love all the people involved. We love our guy Kyrie. It’s nothing but love. To be together on the day that we won it was really, really cool.

Richard Jefferson on Road Trippin Show

While Jefferson revealed that they invited Irving, Iman Shumpert, and Matthew Dellavedova, one name was not mentioned, and it was Timofey Mozgov. It looks like the reunion planners missed out on their former Russian teammate. It is unfortunate that Mozgov missed out on the laughing, partying, dining, and drinking throughout the trip.

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