Donovan Mitchell involuntarily played an integral role in the NBA shutting down in March 2020 due to COVID-19, as Mitchell and teammate Rudy Gobert were the first two players in the league to test positive.
Mitchell went on the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast and told Theo Pinson about how he lived at home while recovering in the early days of COVID.
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“I couldn’t go nowhere and get food because people thought I really had COVID. And this was when remember that high school kid that died. So people didn’t know if you were healthy, unhealthy, whatever the thing was. So, I was locked in my mom’s basement for about a month and a half.”
Mitchell getting COVID alongside Gobert was national news, as they were the first two high-profile athletes to catch the virus while playing in a sport that has a lot of cross-contamination between players. This also ultimately put a massive strain on Mitchell and Gobert’s relationship, as the pair were the star duo of the Utah Jazz at the time.
Gobert had mocked the rules around minimizing the spread of COVID by forcefully touching the mics and phones of all the journalists at a pre-game press conference. Gobert then proceeded to test positive for the virus, with many assuming Mitchell contracted it from Gobert. They remained teammates for two more seasons before the Jazz traded them both away in 2022 for a rebuild.
Donovan Mitchell’s Cavaliers Tenure In Jeopardy
The Cleveland Cavaliers came out of nowhere when they traded for Mitchell, with many assuming that the New York Knicks would be Mitchell’s future home. Donovan has only had good things to say about Cleveland, but many believe his time with the franchise will be short.
Bill Simmons has previously said Mitchell’s eventual departure from the Cavaliers is the worst-kept secret in the NBA. Similarly, Hall of Famer Paul Pierce questioned whether Mitchell is even happy in Cleveland and whether his backcourt partnership with Darius Garland will reap rewards.
“I don’t think — things ain’t right in Cleveland. I’m not sure Donovan is happy over there. For one, I don’t think – he’s not signing an extension there. And two, it just seems like he and Garland, their chemistry wasn’t always there. So, it’ll be interesting to see how that works out because talent-wise, they got talent.”
Mitchell is averaging 27.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this season, looking to make another push to be considered an All-NBA caliber player. The Cavaliers haven’t had the best start to the season, sitting as the eighth seed in the East with a 12-9 record. The Cavs should find their footing to be a top-six team, but it seems championship contention may still be a few years away for the franchise.
Mitchell will be a free agent in 2025 and could just leave the franchise for a better contending situation. Based on how this season goes, the Cavaliers may have to trade Mitchell before the final year of his contract to maximize the trade value they can get for him after everything they gave up to beat out the Knicks to acquire him.
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