Travis and Jason Kelce are proud of their hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. But after recent events, they might not even be the most accomplished athletes from the relatively small town.
Last week, the United States women’s hockey team clinched a gold medal with a thrilling come-from-behind win over Canada in overtime. One of the team’s stars was Wisconsin senior Laila Edwards, who became the first African American woman to compete for the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team – and she also made history by scoring a goal.
Edwards also hails from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and in a playful jab at both Travis and Jason, she made it pretty clear that she thinks she is the best athlete to come out of the area.
“Hi, I’m Laila Edwards — not gonna lie, I’m the best athlete to come out of Cleveland Heights,” Edwards said with a smile during a recent appearance on Jason Kelce’s wife Kylie’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast.
Travis heard Edwards’ claim and responded by hyping up his own hockey career.
Laila Edwards won a gold medal … but does she have any AA banners in the Cleveland Heights hockey rink? 😂😅
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!!!https://t.co/f7dboxtg4v pic.twitter.com/zZdHzWTV7T
— New Heights (@newheightshow) February 25, 2026
“I’m just going to say, Laila, I’ve got two banners in the Cleveland Heights hockey rink,” Kelce joked on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast. “I’m not sure how many banners you have. That’s a young Travis Kelce looking as tall as all the adults — that’s a hefty boy right there. Looks like I might have got some teeth knocked out or they just fell out at that age.”
That said, Travis was happy to concede the title to the Team USA superstar. After all, only one of them has an Olympic gold medal.
“But I’ll let you have [the title] because you’re the only one to have gold, so a little tip of the cap to you, Laila,” Travis said. “That was awesome to see you go and get it.
“I can only imagine what that feels like, man,” he added. “Shout out to Laila one more time for bringing home some gold to not only the USA, but the old Heights, baby. You know how proud we all are.”
Jason had similar praise for the young superstar.
“She was very, very good throughout the Olympics,” Jason said on the podcast. “One of the things after talking to her, you realize she is from the Heights, man. There’s just this humbleness, but also she’s a great person. … Just so proud of all of them. It’s an incredible moment to win a gold medal.”
Jason and Kylie were seen in the stands cheering on Team USA throughout the team’s gold medal run, so he was a supporter long before she clinched the gold and solidified her stardom.
About Dave Kelsey
Bets on sports stuff.