Apr 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks to New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Donovan Mitchell Calls Out Knicks Star After Yankees Comment

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The offseason hasn't stopped New York Knicks star Josh Hart from trying to win the 50-50 battles.

Hart was engaged in digitized cold war by Cleveland Cavaliers franchise face and former Knicks target Donovan Mitchell amidst their respective metropolitan baseball clubs' diamond duel over the weekend. Mitchell's New York Mets have had the early advantage in the latest edition of the "Subway Series" held over Independence Day weekend, winning the first two games of their three-pronged set with the New York Yankees, including a 12-6 triumph on Saturday in Queens.

Despite the Yankees' impending defeat, Hart attempted to remind Mets fans that the pinstriped side had strength in numbers, claiming that New York remains a "Yankees city." Mitchell showed no mercy, claiming that Hart's declaration was "funny" considering the six-run deficit the Bronx Bombers faced.

Saying this down 6 is funny #LFGM https://t.co/xQtJ16qJba
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) July 5, 2025

Both Hart and Mitchell hold familial connections to New York's Major League Baseball clubs.

Hart, a Maryland native that has also expressed support for the Washington Nationals (a Mets divisional rival in the National League East), is a grand-nephew of late longtime Yankee Elston Howard, a 12-time All-Star and the first African American player to don pinstripes. Howard's No. 32 was retired by the Yankees in 1984 and a plaque in his honor resides in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium to this day.

Mitchell, on the other hand, is the son of Donovan Sr., a longtime front office presence in the Mets organization, where he currently serves as senior director in community, inclusion, and player relations. Some felt that the elder Mitchell's metropolitan presence would be enough to get his son to New York before the Cavaliers eventually won the bidding for his services during the summer of 2022.

The Mets and Yankees have one more game scheduled this season, they'll do battle at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon (1:40 p.m. ET, SNY/YES).

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: