It doesn’t seem as though Donovan Mitchell enjoyed his time playing in Utah.
Mitchell, who spent the first five seasons of his NBA career with the Jazz before the team traded him to the Cavaliers this offseason, said his experience in Utah was “draining” for a multitude of reasons.
“It’s a little comforting for me, 100 percent,” Mitchell told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears about playing in Cleveland, where the population is predominately black. “I’m not going to lie about that. It’s no secret there’s a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor. If I’m being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining.
“It was just draining on my energy just because you can’t sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I’m not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things. A [Utah] state senator [Stuart Adams] saying I need to get educated on my own black history. Seeing black kids getting bullied because of their skin color. Seeing a little girl [Isabella Tichenor] hang herself because she’s being bullied.
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell during the first half of a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 9, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Getty Images“Man, it was just one thing after another. And I will say, it’s not the only place it happens. But for me, I’m continuing to be an advocate for [racial equality] and to receive the amount of pushback I got over the years, it was a lot.”
Mitchell went on to recall having a run-in with police, which put things into perspective for him.
“As far as Utah, it became a lot to have to deal with on a nightly basis,” he said. “I got pulled over once. I got an attitude from a cop until I gave him my ID. And that forever made me wonder what happens to the young black kid in Utah that doesn’t have that power to just be like, ‘This is who I am.’ And that was one of the things for me that I took to heart.”
Mitchell’s comments came before he led the Cavaliers to a 122-99 win over the Jazz behind a 23-point performance on Monday.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell shoots over Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Dec. 19, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. Getty Images
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell talks with Jazz center Udoka Azubuike after the Cavaliers defeated the Jazz in a game on Dec. 19, 2022, in Cleveland. APAt the time of the interview, Mitchell anticipated that it would be “weird” to face his former teammates, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson, adding that it would be a fun and exciting experience.
During Mitchell’s tenure in Utah, the Jazz made the playoffs every year but fell short of expectations, never advancing past the second round and three times losing in the first round, including last season.
Mitchell will return to Utah to face his former team on Jan. 10.
“It will be interesting,” he said of the matchup. “I don’t know necessarily what the reception will be positive or negative, but I’m excited, obviously, to go back and play. You’re there for five years. You lay roots there as far as relationships you build in the organization and with different people in the community. To come back again and play in front of the crowd will be dope.
“I don’t know what the reception is going to be. But at the end of the day, you got to go in there and try to get a win. It’s always been a tough place to play and that will be weird going into the visitors’ locker room. But once you get out there, it’s 5-on-5.”
Mitchell is averaging 29.3 points per game so far this season. The Cavs visit the Pistons on Tuesday.
