Timofey Mozgov watched the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers unfold online just like everyone else. The 39-year-old veteran center confirmed Friday that he was entirely excluded from the team’s luxury European getaway. Nobody from the championship roster texted or called to invite him to the celebration.
Key Details
- Mozgov played in 13 games during the historic 2016 playoff run but was left out of the anniversary trip to London and Scotland.
- He spoke directly to Russian media, admitting he would have loved to join the core group for wine and golf.
- NBA fans heavily criticized the core roster’s exclusivity online after footage of the trip surfaced.
“Yes, I saw the video of that party,” Mozgov told Russian media outlet Sport Express. “No one wrote or called me. If I’d been invited, I’d have gladly joined. Of course, I’d have loved to be there too, to drink some wine.”
The core group spent the week golfing and wine tasting across the United Kingdom. Attendees included LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson, J.R. Smith, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, and Matthew Dellavedova. The luxury European getaway commemorated the exact 10-year anniversary of Cleveland’s 93-89 victory in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors.
Mozgov wasn’t the only piece of the championship puzzle missing. Star point guard Kyrie Irving also skipped the trip. J.R. Smith initially joked online that Irving ghosted the group. It was quickly clarified that Irving actually received an invitation. He missed the celebration due to a prior scheduling conflict as a mentor at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in South Carolina, according to BasketNews.
What the Reunion Snub Means for the 2016 Roster’s Legacy
The exclusion of rotation players like Mozgov has sparked intense debate among NBA fans regarding the locker room hierarchy of that title-winning squad. James, Love, and Thompson dictated the cultural identity of the team. The refusal to extend an open invitation to the wider roster highlights the strict social tiers that existed behind closed doors during the Cavaliers’ run.
This isn’t just about a missed vacation. It fractures the idealized image of a fully unified brotherhood that the 2016 team heavily marketed during their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. Fans on platforms like Reddit immediately voiced sympathy for Mozgov. They openly criticized James and the core group for shutting out the role players who contributed valuable minutes during the gruelling postseason.