Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has blossomed into one of the NBA’s young stars over his first two seasons in the league. But what if he had pursued a different sport entirely? When asked by Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype whether he believed he’d been in the Major Leagues as opposed to the NBA if he hadn’t broken his wrist during high school, here was how Mitchell responded:

Yeah, I think so. I think my career path would’ve been baseball if I hadn’t broken my wrist. That really changed my entire life, to be completely honest with you. Not just from a sports standpoint, but from a work ethic standpoint too. That injury really showed me that the game – [baseball or basketball] – could be taken away in a matter of seconds. That made me realize that you have to give this your all every chance you get, otherwise you’re going to be upset that you had more to give but the opportunity is no longer there [to realize your full potential]. That changed my entire mindset and focus, and that’s when I started focusing on basketball. That injury definitely changed my entire life.

From that point, Mitchell went on to play collegiately for the University of Louisville for two seasons prior to entering the NBA Draft. The Nuggets chose him with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but swapped him to the Utah Jazz, the franchise he has quickly become the face of in less than two years. As baseball season gets ready to begin, Mitchell is focused on leading his Jazz club to the postseason, embracing his new sports future.