Georges Niang showed his college pride when the Cleveland Cavaliers forward and Iowa State University product took notice on social media of NFL superstar Travis Kelce having to wear the head of the Cyclones mascot to a press conference after losing a bet.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end played collegiately at the University of Cincinnati and made the bet with Chiefs executive Brad Gee on the Bearcats’ football game against Iowa State last Saturday. The Cyclones won 30-10, leaving Kelce to pay the price for losing and undoubtedly pleasing both Gee and Niang.
The 30-year-old signed with the Cavaliers as a free agent after playing the prior two seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers. He starred for Iowa State from the 2012-13 season through the 2015-16 campaign, earning All-America honors and winning the Karl Malone Award as the best power forward in the nation as a senior. The first Cyclones player to win a national individual award, Niang was a second-round pick (No. 50 overall) by the Indiana Pacers in the 2016 NBA Draft.
The Cavaliers are hopeful Niang can provide a boost to their offense and improve their shooting, which fell short in a first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks last season. He is a consistent 40 percent shooter from 3-point range with a high of 42.5 percent for the Utah Jazz in the 2020-21 season.
He recently compared Evan Mobley to defensive standout Rudy Gobert, a former teammate in Utah.
The exchange with Kelce is the latest between the Cavs and omnipresent celebrity, who is from the Cleveland suburbs and played high school basketball in the area. When news of his relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift started to break, Cavs players were asked if the singer put the football player on the map, and most sided with the All-Pro and Super Bowl champion.
The Cavaliers this season have a bobblehead night planned in honor of Kelce and his brother Jason, a former Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maybe Niang and the Cavaliers can work out something where the Kelce brothers can wear the head of Cavs mascot Moondog on their big night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on March 5.
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