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Donovan Mitchell Says Being In Utah Was Draining Because Of Racism And Lack Of Black Population
Racism and prejudice are everywhere but some places are just more overt about it. When it comes to NBA-based markets, Utah comes up as one of the worst offenders with a number of racially-motivated incidents from NBA players.
The likes of Russell Westbrook, JR Smith, Matt Barnes, Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, Ja Morant, and even 90s Houston Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell are just some of the NBA personalities who have opened up about the racism in Utah whether it was direct or indirect.
The latest NBA personality to join them is former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. While reflecting on his time living and playing in Utah, the now-Cleveland Cavaliers star admitted that it was draining due to racism and the lack of black population across the place.
Per andscape:
“It’s a little comforting for me, 100%,” he said when asked by Marc J. Spears of Andscape about playing in a predominately Black city. “I’m not going to lie about that. It’s no secret there’s a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor. If I’m being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining. It was just draining on my energy just because you can’t sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I’m not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things. A [Utah] state senator [Stuart Adams] saying I need to get educated on my own Black history. Seeing Black kids getting bullied because of their skin color. Seeing a little girl [Isabella Tichenor] hang herself because she’s being bullied.
“Man, it was just one thing after another. And I will say, it’s not the only place it happens. But for me, I’m continuing to be an advocate for [racial equality] and to receive the amount of pushback I got over the years, it was a lot.”
“It first started, when I posted a photo for Juneteenth, and it said ‘Free-ish’ before the [NBA] bubble,” he said. “And really in the bubble, too, people just started nonstop going at me like, ‘Man, you don’t know what you’re talking about. There is injustice everywhere. It’s not just Black people.’ I’m just like, ‘Y’all have no idea.’ I took on a lot because I felt like I could do it. But at some point, it became a lot to have to deal with.
“And then to be able to not see many of us in the crowd, I tried my best to make sure I invite young Black and brown kids to games, to be around the community. But just to not see us there, it was definitely tough. And being in Cleveland now, you see us courtside. It’s just refreshing. It’s a blessing to be back around people that look like me.
“But as far as Utah, it became a lot to have to deal with on a nightly basis. I got pulled over once. I got an attitude from a cop until I gave him my ID. And that forever made me wonder what happens to the young Black kid in Utah that doesn’t have that power to just be like, ‘This is who I am.’ And that was one of the things for me that I took to heart.”
