Playing NBA 2K26 might be a way for some NBA players to unwind, but Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell utilized the game another way. The six-time All-Star was motivated to put up 46 points on November 5 after he said “this kid pissed me off” while playing the basketball game online earlier in the day.
Along with 46 points, Mitchell had eight assists and four rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers. When asked about the performance, he noted taking inspiration from an online multiplayer encounter in NBA 2K26, according to CBS Sports. “This kid pissed me off today, I was playing 2K,” said Mitchell.
“I had been playing 2K for like two hours and I told him, too, I said, ‘Just wait.’ He called me washed up, he called me a bunch of things. But I love it. He said he hadn’t seen a highlight from me in a minute. I just told him, ‘Alright, we’ll see.'”