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Recently after the Utah Jazz's narrow 111-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, Jazz All-Star Rudy Gobert was quoted as stating the following about his teammate Donovan Mitchell's decision not to join the team in Memphis:
Rudy said he initially tried to talk Donovan into coming along to Memphis, but supported his decision not to: "If a human being is not comfortable doing something, it's not for anyone to judge. … We know he wanted to be with us."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) April 3, 2021
That comfort, of course, comes at the heels of the team's harrowing flight mishap at the beginning of their road trip.
Shortly after taking off, the team's plane hit a flock of birds, causing catastrophic engine failure and damage to the aircraft's left engine. Luckily, the plane's pilots were able to safely guide the plane back to Salt Lake City International Airport, but not before giving the team a scare to last a lifetime.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Jazz point guard Mike Conley recalled feeling the plane undergoing a massive collision, before listing to the side and falling through the air. Apparently, those seated at the rear of the craft could see flames emitting from the engine as the plane fell.
“For a good 10, 15 minutes, I think all of us on that flight were questioning if we were going to be here today,” Conley said of the experience. “That’s how serious it was for us. I can’t speak for everybody, but I know that some guys were trying to text family, just in case. It was that kind of situation.”
Gobert continued his above statement with a description of his experience:
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Rudy Gobert, on the infamous plane ride: "It doesn't help to panic, so I was trying to keep calm. I kept telling myself it wasn't my time, that I have more to accomplish, more kids to help. But it was scary."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) April 3, 2021
According to official reports, Mitchell's absence from this game has been attributed to ‘personal reasons'. It has been noted that he has a well-documented fear of flying, but Gobert's statement has been reflected among other team members.
Head coach Quin Snyder was equally supportive of Utah's star guard when asked for his comments on Mitchell's absence: “I never comment on personal situations with any of our players.” Snyder did go on to say that the team did meet to debrief and deflate before the game about where they were emotionally and mentally after such a harrowing situation.
All the more impressive then, that the Jazz managed to survive a young, athletic, and pesky Grizzlies team. The team had some rough spots, but never trailed in the narrow win, despite the harrowing situation that they had to endure.
This win, their seventh in a row, pushes them to 36-11. Let's all cross our fingers that this incredible team is able to properly heal from this experience.
