In the age of social media, choosing to not follow someone back on an online platform can lead to some hard feelings, side-eyes or awkward conversations.
That is sometimes more so true when the people involved actually have a personal or intimate relationship offline. These days, it is not uncommon to see entire articles or blog posts written when it is noticed that celebrity couples no longer follow each other on Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).
NBA and Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell went viral in August after pointing out that his new wife, Grammy-awarded R&B singer Coco Jones, was not following him back on X when she tagged him in a post that included pictures from their recent wedding.
“Aight we married now can I please get a follow back,” Mitchell wrote in an Aug. 14 tweet that included a side-eye and a laughing emoji.
Jones, who met Mitchell in 2023, posted the viral picture 13 days after the couple got married in Greenwich, Connecticut. The ceremony was attended by some of Mitchell’s Cavaliers teammates and other NBA players from around the league.
Mitchell recounted his viral post about Jones not following him back during an appearance this week on the “Cousins” podcast, which is hosted by former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, who are cousins.
“When we first got together, I was offended,” Mitchell said on the podcast. “I (assumed) everybody’s like me. Everybody’s on (Instagram). Everyone’s on Twitter.
“But knowing her for three years, I think I’ve seen her on Twitter — herself, not her team — herself probably like five times. So I knew it wasn’t that. You know what I’m saying?” Mitchell said.
“So I’m like, ‘Alright, cool.’ So we talked to her manager and was like, ‘Yo, let’s figure that out.’ But no, it’s all jokes. It’s all love, but I thought it was pretty funny. She made that post and then tagged me, and I was like, ‘Oh shoot, she still don’t follow me,”’ he explained.
“So I had to ask, but I got the follow back, so we good,” Mitchell added.
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson had his own viral moment at Mitchell’s wedding, too, becoming a meme after Philadelphia 76ers guard Jaylen Brown posted a video of the Knicks point guard dancing during the reception on his Instagram story.
Brunson and the Knicks swept Mitchell’s Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals before winning the NBA Finals over the San Antonio Spurs in June to break a 53-year title drought for the franchise.
Mitchell is now entering his 10th season in the NBA, and last season was the first time he reached the conference finals round of the playoffs in his career; he signed a four-year, $273 million extension with Cleveland in July.
The Cavaliers also pursued a free-agency reunion with LeBron James during the offseason, but James opted to team up with Brown on the 76ers.
After James signed with Philadelphia, the Cavaliers eventually re-signed future Hall of Fame guard James Harden on a three-year, $97 million contract. Cleveland also traded for ex-Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who immediately signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the team.
The Cavaliers hope the retooled roster around Mitchell can get the team to the Finals next season. Despite all their great individual career accolades, Mitchell and Harden have yet to win a championship.
“Now that I’ve seen it,” Mitchell said about last year’s disappointing playoff ending, “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this won’t happen again.”
