Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell sees the league's restart in Orlando as an opportunity to continue advocating for equality.
Before the Jazz take on the New Orleans Pelicans to kick off the NBA restart in Walt Disney World on July 30, Mitchell spoke out about the importance of the game and the platform they have in campaigning for social justice.
“For us to be able to be African-Americans on this platform that we have. To be able to speak to people who don't have voice, I think it's truly gonna be monumental,” Donovan Mitchell said on Wednesday, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “Being able to say I stood up for something that is definitely not right and I think myself and others throughout this league have done a great job.”
Mitchell didn't specify how the Jazz and Pelicans will make a statement before their game, but it has been reported that the teams are planning to kneel during the national anthem.
“To be on the front lines of this, to be the first game…. I stand for something thats bigger than just playing basketball and making money,” the Jazz guard added.
The Louisville alum has been outspoken on social media about issues of racial injustice, particularly the murder of Louisville resident Breonna Taylor.
Mitchell was one of the first NBA players to test positive for the coronavirus, just days after his Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert contracted it on March 11th. The developments irked Mitchell, whose frayed relationship with Gobert was a frequent topic of interest during the spring.
On Thursday, however, Gobert said the two All-Stars talked it out.
So far, the league's experiment in the bubble at Disney's Wide Wold of Sports has been a major success. On Wednesday, the league announced zero positive COVID-19 tests inside the bubble since players and staff arrived three weeks ago. As long as the bubble is functioning, Mitchell and the NBA community will use their platform to advocate for justice and further the Black Lives Matter movement.
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