After fighting to the second seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers can finally take a breath and prepare for the final stretch of the regular season during the All-Star break.
One Cavalier, though, will have his schedule full over the weekend. In both of his first two seasons with Cleveland, superstar guard Donovan Mitchell will represent the wine and gold during the All-Star festivities. Last year, Mitchell was named Cleveland’s first All-Star starter since LeBron James in 2018. This season, Mitchell was included as an All-Star reserve despite having an even better season than his last.
Donovan Mitchell will be the sole representative for the Cavaliers, but two-way rookie Emoni Bates of the Cleveland Charge was selected for the G-League Up Next Game and the Rising Stars Game as an injury reserve. With immense star power in the Eastern Conference, Darius Garland’s and Evan Mobley’s respective injuries kept them out of All-Star considerations, and Jarrett Allen could not rally enough votes from coaches to be named a reserve.
While too many Cleveland Cavaliers greats never graced the All-Star game, Mitchell has already marked his name in Ohio basketball history as one of the few players in franchise history to be an All-Star in consecutive seasons. This accomplishment places him in the same level of success as Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and more. Mitchell and the Cavs still have plenty to prove this season, but Mitchell’s recognition as an All-Star serves to show the competitive nature and bright future of Cleveland basketball.
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On the path to All-Stardom this year, Mitchell has averaged the fourth-most points per game at 28.4 alongside career highs in assists (6.3), steals (1.9) and rebounds (5.4). Every All-Star festivity will be available nationwide, but with so endless events each day, it can be difficult to know exactly when to catch Mitchell taking centerstage.
Donovan Mitchell will compete in two events in Indianapolis. Outside of his fifth-career All-Star appearance, Mitchell entered the three-point contest after Cleveland’s walking flamethrower Sam Merrill reportedly denied the opportunity, allowing Mitchell to take his place. The additional contest means Mitchell will be participating two days of the weekend.
The Starry 3-Point Contest will begin directly following the 8 pm Eastern Time Kia Skills Challenge on TNT. Donovan Mitchell will compete against the defending champion and newest Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard. Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Lauri Markkanen, Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young will also take the stage.
Following the Starry 3-Point Contest, Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will compete in the first-ever NBA versus WNBA 3-Point Challenge. The night will end with the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.
The All-Star Game will take place on the final day of All-Star Weekend, Sunday, Feb. 18. All events will be broadcast on TNT. Before the All-Star Game, Bates will debut on Team BallIsLife for the G-League Up Next Game at 1:30 pm Eastern Time.
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At 8 pm Eastern Time, Donovan Mitchell will showcase to the world how he has helped to make this Cavaliers season so special as an East All-Star.
In the 2023 All-Star Game, Mitchell scored 40 points and recorded 10 assists in 30 minutes, knocking down eight three-pointers on the night. If there is anything Cavaliers fans can count on Donovan Mitchell to provide, it is world-class basketball brilliance.
Following All-Star Weekend, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will resume their regular season campaign on Thursday, February 22 as they host the Orlando Magic in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 7 pm Eastern Time. With the conference’s second-best record, the Cavs will have a chance to build upon their current 2.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks against a faltering Orlando squad.
Daniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts in action against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2026 NFL offseason needing to make a decision about the future of quarterback Daniel Jones.
After signing Jones last offseason to a one-year deal in free agency, the Colts liked what they saw from him in 2025. Unfortunately, his season came to an end early after he went down with a torn Achilles.
Before suffering that injury, Jones played in 13 games. He completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while also running for 164 yards and five more touchdowns.
Jones was a free agent entering the offseason. Indianapolis moved quickly to lock him in. The Colts signed the veteran quarterback to a massive two-year, $88 million contract.
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Whether or not the move will pay off remains to be seen. It’s a big risk for Indianapolis, but Jones showed the potential of being a legitimate franchise quarterback before the injury occurred.
Colts Under Fire After Huge Daniel Jones Contract Decision
Chris Ballard and the Colts may be confident in Jones’ ability to be their starter moving forward. Not everyone agrees with the contract the team gave him.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport has named the move as one of the worst of the NFL offseason.
“Maybe Jones will be ready for Week 1 despite the severity of the injury. Maybe he can repeat last year’s success despite his struggles in New York. Maybe he’s the next Sam Darnold,” Davenport wrote.
“Or maybe the Colts should have let Jones play out the 2026 season on the transition tag while they saw how all those ‘maybes’ played out.”
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Last season, Jones faced a lot of doubt as well. After his rocky tenure with the New York Giants, no one could be blamed for having reservations about the quarterback. However, after the way he played in 2025, Indianapolis feels good about its decision.
Indianapolis Has Had a Wild NFL Offseason So Far
Outside of the Jones move, the Colts have been very busy this offseason.
Along with re-signing Jones, the team also brought back wide receiver Alec Pierce. In order to make that move happen, they had to pay out a four-year deal worth $114 million.
Plenty of other moves have been made as well. Indianapolis traded star linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers and added pieces like defensive end Arden Key, defensive end Micheal Clemons, defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, among others.
Most recently, the Colts have been hit with a trade request from cornerback Kenny Moore.
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Only time will tell how the team’s offseason moves pan out. Indianapolis has taken some risk this offseason and still has holes to fill. However, the Colts looked like one of the best teams in the NFL during the first half of the 2025 season and may not be far off from Super Bowl contention.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
INDIANAPOLIS (WKRC) — Police are investigating after one person was injured in a shooting at an Indianapolis Kroger store, per WTHR.
Crews were called to the store at 680 Twin Aire Drive on the east side of the city around 7 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found one man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery and is now in stable condition.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s preliminary investigation determined the shooting was targeted and started over an argument about Pokémon cards.
A person of interest was detained at the scene, but police say they are still working to confirm if they had any involvement in the shooting.
INDIANAPOLIS — An 86-year-old survived a heavy fire after it ripped through several apartments Sunday morning, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department.
This happened inside the independent living section within the Rosegate Commons American Senior Community. Firefighters say the man was slightly hurt, and he told them he heard a smoke alarm sounding for over 30 minutes but dismissed it, believing it was the neighbor’s alarm.
Firefighters arrived on Rosegate Lane, near South Emerson Avenue and East Southport Road, at around 4:45 a.m., and they found heavy fire showing through the roof. Crews were initially unaware the man was still inside the building. After firefighters had been working to put out the blaze for 25 minutes, the man fully awoke and tried to evacuate. As he reached for the front door, the roof collapsed, and burning debris landed on him. He managed to exit through the back of the structure, where he was met by firefighters.
The man and one firefighter were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
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The fire was brought under control just before 5:30 a.m. Investigators believe the cause may have been electrical in nature, originating in the attic. Of the six apartment homes affected, five are considered a total loss, while one sustained exterior damage. Aside from the injured people, four others were able to escape safely. A parrot was also rescued unharmed.
Firefighters say if you ever hear a smoke alarm go off, never ignore it, especially in the middle of the night. They urge you to get out of the building if you see smoke and fire and call 911.
