Donovan Mitchell was emotional after his game seven loss to the Denver Nuggets. However, he stated post-game that the pain he feels is nothing compared to the problems that the family members of victims of police brutality face regularly.
The 23-year-old lamented the fact that basketball is merely a game. Mitchell’s disappointed in the outcome of the series but is aware of the real-world issues that should take precedence during these trying times.
Mitchell has spoken on the systemic racism taking place in our society multiple times. While discussing the callous shooting of Jacob Blake, the Jazz star touched on the trepidation black people have when leaving their homes.
Despite losing in seven games to the Nuggets, Mitchell had a series for the ages. In game one, he poured in an absurd 57 points — the third-highest-scoring playoff game in NBA history. Mitchell would drop 51 points in game four, making him one of four players in league history to have multiple 50-point games in a series. Mitchell also occupied the second-highest scoring average prior to a game seven (38.7) — behind only Elgin Baylor in 1962.
Although he came back to earth in game seven, the first-time All-Star finished as the only player in NBA history to average 35+ points per game, 50+% from the field, 50+% from beyond the arc, and 90+% from the free-throw line across a single playoff series. He also passed Stephen Curry for the most three-pointers made in a playoff series (33).
Mitchell and the Jazz have lost in the first round each of the past two seasons.
