There has a lot of rumors going on about Donovan Mitchell and his time at the Utah Jazz. Reports have suggested that Mitchell has been unhappy with his situation in Utah. There is also some noise that he had an ongoing feud with All-Star teammate, Rudy Gobert.
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The rift between the two teammates has been well documented, and it has been going for a few years now. Last month, Rudy took a shot at Donovan in a post-game press conference. He praised Devin Booker, and he slyly took a dig at Mitchell.
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Many NBA insiders have compared the duo’s relationship to that of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq and Kobe were teammates at the Los Angeles Lakers for a long time, and they had a feud that broke up the Lakers dynasty. Even though they were great players, they did not mesh well off the court and the Lakers ended up trading Shaq to the Miami Heat.
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Lakers Kobe Bryant bumps chests with Shaquille O’Neal after O’Neal got fouled scoring in the first half during the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs at Staples Center Sunday April 21, 2002.Trailblazer Damon Stoudamire looks on from the left. Lakers won 9587. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“I wish,” says Donovan Mitchell
Donovan addressed the comparisons of him and Rudy to Kobe and Shaq. He said, “I wish…Because they got three rings.” Even though Kobe and Shaq didn’t get along, they had enormous success on the court. They won three championships together, and they went to the Finals four times. They were considered to be one of the greatest duos of all time.
Meanwhile, Donovan and Rudy have been all-star for the last few years, but they have not had that much success. They had the best record in the league last year and everyone expected them to make the Finals. But they underperformed, and they bounced out in the second round.
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 26, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) slaps the hand of center Rudy Gobert (27) during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Jazz wins 108-94. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
He also played down rumors of any rift between the two teammates. He says, “First of all, we’re good. I just want to go on record with saying that. I think it’s interesting that stuff happens, and he and I have never played at this high of a level together since we’ve been here.”
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Mitchell will hope that the duo’s off-court troubles won’t impact their on-court relationship as this would be disastrous for Utah. Both of them are on long-term contracts and are the two most important players for the Jazz.
The duo will need to take lessons from Kobe and Shaq, who won together multiple times despite an ongoing feud.
