Cavs' 2016 Champs Reunite: Where Were Kyrie & Mozgov?

The 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers recently gathered for a reunion trip in Europe, with LeBron James hosting the event. Several prominent players from that championship team, including Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, Kevin Love, and J.R. Smith, were present.

However, two significant omissions were Kyrie Irving and Timofey Mozgov. Mozgov revealed in an interview that he was not invited to the reunion and expressed a desire to have joined if given the chance. He noted that while he saw videos of the gathering, no one from the team reached out to him.

Kyrie Irving, who hit a pivotal shot in the 2016 NBA Finals, missed the reunion due to existing brand obligations. Irving is currently on a tour in China and other Asian countries with his shoe brand ANTA. He addressed speculation about his relationships with former teammates, stating that they are on good terms and that any narrative suggesting otherwise is untrue.

Mozgov, a starting center for the Cavaliers in the 2015-2016 season, saw his role significantly diminish in the playoffs, averaging only 1.2 points in about five minutes per game. He did not play in Game 7 of the Finals. Following the championship, he signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, which has since been viewed as one of the worst contracts in NBA history.