Donovan Mitchell was in the audience when LeBron James made 'The Decision'
What's the story?
Donovan Mitchell, the rookie from Utah, was in the audience when the King decided to take his talents to South Beach.
In case you didn't know...
Donovan Mitchell is in the midst of an outstanding first season with the Utah Jazz. He has had multiple 40 plus point games and now has won the Slam Dunk contest held during the All-Star Weekend this season.
The heart of the matter...
The free-agency process changed forever when LeBron James announced his decision to leave Cleveland and go and join Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat on National TV in 2010. This decision, however, had a significant impact on one particular future star. The Utah Jazz guard was overjoyed by the decision and was just 13 years old when he attended the spectacle.
"It was in Greenwich, Conn., and I went to school in Greenwich (at Greenwich Country Day School)," Mitchell said, according to Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine. "So, as a big LeBron fan in the sixth grade, I forced my mom to let me go. I wanted him to go to Miami. I wanted him to get his first ring."
He further told that while he was celebrating, there were many around him that were disappointed by the move.
"The people there who were Knicks fans … they weren't too happy about it. I almost got hit in the head with a Snapple bottle because they were just throwing stuff around outside. It was cool. I was just celebrating, so it was pretty cool."
What's next?
Although the Utah Jazz are on an 11-game winning streak, they are still out of the playoff picture sitting at the 10th spot on the Western Conference table. With the season reaching its business end, the Jazz would like to rack up more and more wins and secure their spot for the playoffs.
They host the 7th seeded Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
Author's take
LeBron’s decision to move to Miami was surely one of the biggest trades that happened in the history of the league. This decision changed the whole dynamic of free-agency and also the future of the NBA.