After his teammates faced a scare, Mitchell couldn’t help but get real about his fear of flying.
Donovan Mitchell’s Utah Jazz teammates faced a scare on their way to Memphis this past week as their plane hit birds which led to an emergency landing. These instances are always incredibly scary, especially in light of some of the stories that took place over the last year. Eventually, the Jazz were able to get to their destination safely, although Mitchell is still freaked out about what happened while he was away from the squad.
While speaking to ESPN, Mitchell admitted to being scared of flying and that realistically, he would prefer to drive to each destination. In the end, Mitchell knows he can’t do that but his fear of flying remains.
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“I just needed to take that time, because it wasn’t feeling (and) sitting right for me to go on the trip,” Donovan Mitchell said. “My teammates and my coaches respected that, and I appreciate the support. But I understand that I have a job to do. I can’t pull a John Madden and drive everywhere. As much as I would love to, I can’t. I understand I’ve got to (fly). I’ve calmed down, and I’ll be good – should be good, at least, I think – for the rest of the season.”
Flying is definitely an anxiety-inducing trip as you are subjected to some massive heights and very little safety should anything go wrong on the plane. However, it’s how NBA teams have had to deal with the travel and it’s going to remain this way until the end of time. Regardless, it’s good to see Mitchell opening up about such a real concern.
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