New Dunk Champion Donovan Mitchell Was At LeBron's 'Decision' Ceremony
New dunk champion Donovan Mitchell was in the audience at LeBron James' infamous 'Decision' ceremony in 2010, when he announced on live television that he would be taking his talents to Miami.
Mitchell, a rookie with the Jazz who clinched the dunk competition with a tribute slam to Vince Carter, was just 13 when James left the Cavaliers for the Heat in free agency. At the time, he was a student at Greenwich Country Day School, and James' much-maligned hour-long show was filmed at the nearby Greenwich Boys and Girls Club.
Mitchell told Yahoo's Dan Devine about his experience there.
"It was in Greenwich, Conn., and I went to school in Greenwich [at Greenwich Country Day School],” Mitchell, now 21, said. “So, as a big LeBron fan in the sixth grade, I forced my mom to let me go. I wanted him to go to Miami. I wanted him to get his first ring.”
He continued:
“The people there who were Knicks fans … they weren’t too happy about it,” Mitchell said. “I almost got hit in the head with a Snapple bottle because they were just throwing stuff around outside. It was cool. I was just celebrating, so it was pretty cool.”
James was already the best player on the planet when he made the Decision, and he won the All-Star Game MVP on Sunday night. It's a testament to his incredible longevity that he's sharing the All-Star weekend's top honors with a kid who was in the crowd at the Boys and Girls Club eight years ago.
