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Donovan Mitchell was suddenly unavailable in the Utah Jazz‘s road game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum on Thursday. While Spida was deemed healthy enough to play, he is probably still shaking off the effects of the team's most recent terrifying plane incident.
While on their way to Memphis, the Jazz's charter flight had to make an emergency landing after striking a flock of birds mid-flight. Thankfully, everyone landed safely and the Jazz's trip was re-scheduled. However, their two-time All-Star guard did not join the team this time around.
Since joining the league in 2017, Mitchell has been open about his fear of flying. Sure enough, an old pre-draft clip of him explaining his phobia of airplanes resurfaced after news came out that he did not make the trip to Tennessee.
Old draft workout of Donovan Mitchell in which he admits to being “terrified” of flying. Which may have something to do with his not being with the Jazz on their second flight to Memphis. https://t.co/qOGG9ics4h
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) March 31, 2021
Even Jazz head coach Quinn Snyder was asked about Mitchell's status prior to tip-off against the Grizzlies but opted not to comment about the matter, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Quin Snyder politely declined to answer how this situation might potentially affect Donovan Mitchell's future availability for road games: "I never comment on players' personal situations, and I hope you can respect that."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) March 31, 2021
Mitchell is now on his fourth season in the NBA and is probably used to flying for road games by now. However, figuring in a frightening incident like that one can definitely bring back some old trauma.
While it's unusual for professional players to have this kind of fear since they travel most of the time, it's not the first time the league has dealt with this kind of situation. Royce White, a promising NBA prospect back in 2012, struggled with anxiety for much of his professional career, which was triggered by his fear of riding airplanes.
It remains unclear how long Mitchell will be out. The Jazz, however, will return to Smart Vivint Arena on Friday against the Chicago Bulls, so Mitchell will probably be ready by then.
