Even though there are always exceptions, it’s never been a secret that Utah Jazz fans have a reputation for being racist. Former Houston Rockets star Vernon Maxwell repeatedly calls them out on social media, and even Ja Morant’s father was involved in an incident a couple of seasons ago.
That’s one of the reasons why the Jazz have struggled to sign and/or retain top-notch free agents. Players know what they’re going up against, and no one likes to be mistreated, especially in a racial way.
So, now that he’s finally out and away from Utah, Cleveland Cavaliers starDonovan Mitchell was finally able to open up about his time there. Per the Louisville product, he felt ‘drained’ because pf everything that happened off the court.
NBA News: Donovan Mitchell Says Living In Utah Was ‘Draining’
(via Marc Spears)
“[Leaving Utah] It’s a little comforting for me, 100%. 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.”
Of course, there must be hundreds or even thousands of Jazz fans who aren’t racist, and they shouldn’t be held to the same standard as those they are. But given the political landscape of the state, Mitchell’s comments aren’t that far-fetched.