New Orleans • Donovan Mitchell on Sunday night received the phone call from the NBA he had long been waiting for.
Because of a rib injury, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon had to pull out of the upcoming slam dunk contest. So, the league asked the Jazz rookie to be his replacement.
Mitchell quickly accepted. He will participate in the dunk competition during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“When I found out, I was excited,” Mitchell said here Monday morning. “I have a couple of ideas. I’ve been googling YouTube and watching old dunk contests. I’m definitely excited to participate.”
That excitement explains why Mitchell bounced from shooting drill to shooting drill during Monday’s Jazz shootaround, in advance of the 6 p.m. MST meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
And when he was asked about the dunk contest, he simply broke into a huge smile. This is something Mitchell has wanted since entering the NBA. When he wasn’t initially chosen, he said he was disappointed — then accepted an invitation to the Skills Challenge.
Because of the dunk contest, Mitchell will pull out of the skills competition. But with an appearance in the Rising Stars game on Friday, all-star weekend will definitely be a busy few days for the star rookie.
Mitchell missed Saturday night’s win over the San Antonio Spurs with the flu, but is probable to play on Monday. He went through shootaround with no ill effects. He originally got sick before Friday night’s win against the Phoenix Suns, but recovered in time to score 40 points. The sickness flared up again on Saturday, right before game time.
“I wasn’t feeling too good after whatever I ate in Phoenix,” Mitchell said. “I felt fine before the game. Whatever I ate for breakfast in San Antonio, I guess I irritated it again.”
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