The Cleveland Cavaliers are building their team around Evan Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. At one point they also had a second member of the family, Isaiah Mobley, but the fan favorite big man has now signed with a new team.
Interestingly enough, despite Isaiah Mobley being two year older than his brother Evan, he entered the NBA a year later. Evan was the meteoric talent bursting onto the college scene and then into the Top-3 of the 2021 NBA Draft with all of the intangibles of a future star, a cross between Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh and Chris Webber.
Isaiah, however, was looking merely for a spot in the league. A gifted playmaker for his size, the 6’8” big man was drafted 49th overall by the Cavaliers in the 2022 NBA Draft, joining his brother in northeast Ohio. He signed a two-way contract with the team and spent the next two seasons in Cleveland.
Mobley fell perfectly into one of the most unfortunate groups of basketball players, someone who dominated in the G League but couldn’t quite cut it in the NBA. Mobley was an All G-League selection as a rookie, then went on to lead the Cavaliers to the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League championship, dropping 28-11 in the title game.
With the Cavaliers, however, Mobley didn’t quite have it. He played in just 22 games over two seasons, a total of 156 minutes. He scored only 54 points and shot 6-for-18 from 3-point range. His playmaking translated, as he averaged 10.6 assists per 36 minutes, but he was not an agile defender, lacked traditional center size, and couldn’t shot well enough to survive as a power forward.
Isaiah Mobley has signed with a new team
After a year bouncing around the Philadelphia 76ers organization, Isaiah Mobley has pivoted away from his NBA dream and signed with a new team outside of North America. After the dust settled on NBA Free Agency and most roster and training camp slots were filled, he took his talents across the pond to Europe.
Mobley signed a contract to join Manila Basket of the Turkish Basketball Super Ligi, the top league in Turkey. In a league dominated by juggernauts in Fenerbahc and Andalou Eves, Mobley will help Manila Basket try to push into the upper crust. He will join fellow American transplants such as Judah Mintz, a recent star at Syracuse who went undrafted in 2024, and Jay Scrubb, who hung around the G League for the last five years before making the move to international play.
If he can handle the physicality of European basketball, Mobley is set up to excel and be a key player in the Turkish BSL. That may translate into a long international career, or he may attempt to parlay that into another chance back in the NBA.
This also may not be the last time the Cavaliers are connected to Isaiah Mobley. There have been rumblings that the Mobley brothers could join the Bahamas National Team for a forthcoming World Cup or Olympics. While Evan is good enough to get a look for Team USA, he could join his brother and play for the little guy.
Whatever is next for Isaiah Mobley, the Cavaliers and their fans loved having "big brother" around. A positive locker room presence and a player with a great work ethic, Isaiah has now taken his talents to a new team in a new Land.