NBA star after Game 7 loss: ‘This is a game. People lost their family members to police brutality and racism’
Basketball is just a game and is trivial when compared to the social unrest taking place across the country.
That’s the message that Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell had on Tuesday night after losing a tightly contested Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets that knocked the Jazz out of the NBA playoffs.
Mitchell had a costly turnover while driving to the basket with 11 seconds left and the Jazz down two points. After the game he put the loss in perspective.
“This is a game,” Mitchell said. “People lost their family members to police brutality and racism . . . I can only imagine. So, I wanted to say that, I wanted to get that out there, because the way that I’m feeling right now is nothing compared to that. And I appreciate the NBA and everybody in this league for continuing to push that message, because it’s not stopping.”
Mitchell has been outspoken about racial injustice, and he’s openly called for the police that killed 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor to be arrested.
Mitchell played college basketball at Louisville, which was where Taylor was killed. Mitchell had the words “Say Her Name” displayed on the back of his jersey, in reference to Taylor.
Taylor was fatally shot after police broke down the door to her apartment while executing a nighttime warrant in a narcotics investigation on March 13.
