Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is one of the best guards in the NBA. Mitchell had an incredible rookie season with the Utah Jazz in 2018 and has built on that career start with five consecutive All-Star appearances since his first in 2020.
In a recent episode of the podcast “Million Dollaz Worth of Game,” Mitchell was a guest and told an incredible story about his first encounter with Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook.
“I was a huge Russell Westbrook fan when he was still dunking over people and just running around screaming,” Mitchell said. “… I’d see him on the bench doing his dances and stuff, and I’m standing here warming up and I’m like, ‘You bet where he is?’ So I see him and he’s doing all this, and he stops and just looks at me and just stares at me and I’m like, ‘Oh, shit.'”
Mitchell continued his story, saying, “We get into the game… I foul him on a shot fake and I go up to him and say, ‘Good move.’ (He says, ‘Who the hell are you?’ At that point I say, ‘Well, bet.’ That kind of put you in your place a little bit. After that, it was all love. I realized that’s just the way he is.”
Mitchell said it was one of his “welcome to the NBA” moments, and although Westbrook put him in his place as a rookie, the two have loved each other ever since.
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