Donovan Mitchell Speaks Out on Minnesota Tragedies: “It’s Not About Sides. It’s About Humanity.”
In the midst of another tragic stretch of violence in Minnesota, Donovan Mitchell isn’t interested in political lines or finger-pointing. The Cleveland Cavaliers star is calling for something far more fundamental: empathy.
“It’s violence. Senseless violence,” Mitchell said, reflecting on the recent killings that have shaken the Minneapolis area and beyond. “It’s one of those things where there’s a human element to all of this, right?”
Mitchell was referring to a pair of fatal incidents involving ICE officers-first, the killing of Renee Good, and more recently, the death of local protestor Alex Pretti. Both occurred in the same city, just weeks apart. And Mitchell, who was in Minnesota with the Cavs when the first tragedy unfolded, says being so close to it all left a lasting impact.
“We were there for the first incident,” he said. “Then to see it happen again-it’s like it’s become the norm.
And that’s the part that’s so disturbing. That shouldn’t be normal.”
The Cavaliers were placed on lockdown in their hotel during that initial incident. For Mitchell, that proximity stripped away the usual distance NBA players often have from the real-world issues unfolding around them.
“We are in this bubble as NBA players; we’re removed,” he said. “But being there in Minnesota when that happened, it really made you open your eyes.
You feel it. It’s 10 minutes away.
You can only feel for the people of Minnesota, feel for the families. It’s just not right.”
Mitchell, who also serves as a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, echoed the NBPA’s official statement condemning the recent wave of violence, including the killing of Keith Porter in Los Angeles by an off-duty ICE officer on New Year’s Eve. The incidents have triggered a national outcry for accountability and justice.
“I see the ‘Oh, it’s the sides.’ Like, nah, it’s the human element,” Mitchell said.
“That’s what gets to me. There’s so much craziness-‘Oh, it’s this, it’s that.’
It’s like, nah, let’s be humans. What about that?”
Mitchell’s frustration wasn’t just about the violence itself-it was about how numb society seems to be becoming to it.
“It’s not right that it keeps happening, and it’s not right that it’s desensitized the way it is,” he said.
He also brought up another heartbreaking situation involving a five-year-old boy, Liam Ramos, who, along with his father, is being held in a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas while their asylum claim is pending. The image of a child alone, separated from his parent, struck a personal chord.
“I even saw the little kid,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know the full story, but I saw the little kid that was by himself.
Like, what about the human side of that? That’s a child by himself, no parent.
I feel like we lose that in all of this.”
It’s not just headlines for Mitchell. His own family’s immigration story adds another layer to how deeply he feels these issues.
“I have family who came to this country, and they fear for their lives-and they’re legal citizens,” he said. “Like, they fear.”
While Mitchell made clear he doesn’t have all the details of each situation, he didn’t mince words when it came to how wrong it all feels.
“I don’t know the whole situation of the people that got murdered, but I do know this is BS,” he said. “That’s just been my standpoint on it. I pray for the families that are affected by it, I pray for everybody that’s affected by it, and I pray we figure this out because it’s getting out of hand.”
He paused, then added: “It’s just become the norm. It’s nuts.
It’s insane. That can’t be who we are as a country, as a people.”
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson also addressed the situation before Monday’s game, offering a more subdued but equally heartfelt sentiment.
“We’re aware,” Atkinson said. “It’s really tragic for the community, for the families.
Cavaliers' star Donovan Mitchell joined others from the NBA community in sharing his thoughts on the situation in Minnesota.
— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) January 27, 2026
Think his message here is one everyone can co-sign. pic.twitter.com/2wdm2lVrQF
You just feel for the whole situation. We’re definitely aware of what’s going on.
Violence-I try to put it over there in a box, 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.”
In a league that’s never shied away from using its platform to speak out, Mitchell’s words are a reminder that sports don’t exist in a vacuum. The pain in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Texas isn’t just a headline-it’s a human crisis. And for Mitchell, that’s what matters most.