Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert laughed in the face of the coronavirus.
Then became the first NBA player to contract it. Once he gave it to his teammate Donovan Mitchell, the world stood at attention and people started to take the pandemic seriously.
Since that day, the sports world has basically stopped in alignment with the rest of the working world. As more people contract the virus, many people are wondering how Donovan is doing. Mitchell shared a video via the NBA Twitter account on Saturday to update fans on his fight against COVID-19.
A message from @spidadmitchell pic.twitter.com/YtChd3eNng
— NBA (@NBA) March 14, 2020
Mitchell got more in-depth in a video conference with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America Monday morning while in quarantine.
“I have no symptoms which is unique — when people ask me I would say if you were to tell me I could play in a seven-game series tomorrow, I would be ready to lace up,” Mitchell told Robin Roberts during an exclusive interview on “Good Morning America.” “I’m just blessed to be able to be okay.”
“I think that’s the scariest part about this virus,” Mitchell said. “You may seem fine, be fine and you never know who you may be talking to who they’re going home to.”
The 23-year-old franchise star also said “things are going well” in isolation and he has “no fever, no symptoms as of right now.”
Mitchell said the process of being tested was the most difficult part of the infection.
“It was a swab down my throat. It was about 15 seconds of probably the most discomfort I ever had. I ended up crying,” he explained. “Tears came out of my eyes when they started going up in this area. It was definitely unique, but I’m glad I was able to get it.”
After Mitchell, Detroit Pistons center Christian Wood, who faced Gobert in Utah’s March 7 road win, was the next NBA player to test positive for COVID-19. There’s three in total.
Mitchell is isolated, but he’s still trying to help ease some of the chaos that families have been thrust into with schools closing.
“I’m working on a partnership with the Salt Lake Granite School District, that’s about 88 to 90 schools, about 66,000 kids, just being able to provide them meals,” Mitchell said.
“That particular school district in Salt Lake City is home to some of the most vulnerable children” in the area, which is why Mitchell said he wants to give back.
“For parents who may not have the money — being able to not send their kids off to school to get food, I think is a scary feeling for them and I want to be able to make sure that they’re set and they understand that guys like myself and whoever may have their back,” he said.
It’s good that Mitchell is on the mend and he can help soften some of the fears of people who consider the coronavirus a death wish for life as they once knew it.
