Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell curious why No. 1 recruit Aaliyah Chavez trash-talked at the 2nd Mamba Invitational
Aaliyah Chavez, the No. 1 player in the class of 2025, participated in the second annual Mamba League Invitational in Los Angeles, California, on Friday. She won the MVP award and drew the attention of NBA star Donovan Mitchell for her performance and trash talk.
During the game, the 5-foot-10 Lubbock, Texas, native was caught on camera saying:
"I am in your town and you are not lacing it up. You don’t want that smoke. You know who you are, you know what I am talking about too."
On Sunday, the Cavaliers guard reacted to the video of Chavez on X.
"Trynna figure out who she talkin about lol and when do they play each other," Mitchell wrote while reposting the clip shared by Swish Cultures.
Fans in the comments section also wondered if Aaliyah Chavez was talking about a specific opponent. Many speculated that she might have been referring to the projected top-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, Jerzy Robinson.
"She talking about @JerzyRobinson, she should of just said it," one fan commented.
Meanwhile, other fans reasoned why it was not Robinson Chavez was dissing.
"She talking about the #2 ranked player on her class Addie Deal. She came to LA to play in Mamba Classic & Deal didn’t show up to local Tourney while Chavez came from Texas," one fan wrote.
After seeing Mitchell's reaction, Chavez clarified that she was not targeting any specific player.
"All 💨💨💨," Chavez responded to Mitchell's tweet.
Aaliyah Chavez's college offers
Aaliyah Chavez cut down her list to six schools in July. According to 247Sports, she received 27 scholarship offers from different universities, but she is only considering LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, South Carolina and UCLA. She has not made an official trip to any school, but is reportedly planning to visit the ones on her list this fall.
Chavez ended the 2023-24 high school basketball season averaging 37.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.5 steals per game at Monterey High School in California.
Her strong performances made her a finalist for the Naismith Girls Basketball National Player of the Year Award. She also received several other honors, including being named a Naismith Trophy All-American and the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A/6A Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year.