Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
SALT LAKE CITY — NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell says he is doing well in isolation after becoming the second Utah Jazz player to test positive for COVID-19 last week.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Mitchell says he does not have any symptoms, describing himself as very blessed.
“I keep making the joke [that] if you were to tell me I’m playing a seven-game series tomorrow, I’d be ready to lace up,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s the scariest part about this virus is that, you know, you may seem fine, be fine and you never know who you may be talking to, who they’re going home to.”
Since being in isolation for COVID-19, Mitchell says he misses playing basketball, but he stays occupied by watching old film and working on a partnership with the Granite School District.
“I want to be able to give back,” Mitchell said. “For parents who may not have the money, not being able to not send their kids off to school to get food, I think is a scary feeling for them and I want to be able to make sure that they’re set and they understand that guys like myself, or whoever, have their back.”
Mitchell’s teammate and fellow NBA All-Star Rudy Gobert was the first player to test positive for COVID-19 last week, leading the NBA to suspend the rest of its season. Gobert drew criticism for some of his actions before learning of his diagnosis.
During a news conference earlier in the week, Gobert joked with reporters before leaving and touched all of the microphones on the table.
He apologized after his diagnosis, saying that he wishes that he would have taken things more seriously.
“The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered. At the time, I had no idea I was even infected,” he wrote on Instagram.
Mitchell says he was upset with his teammate’s actions in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“To be honest with you, Robin, you know, it took a while for me to cool off. I’ve read what he’s said and I’m glad he’s doing well, and I’m doing well.
“I hate to say it, but there’s two of us, it wasn’t the whole party. At the end of the day, neither him or I have children at home, so I’m glad that we were able to contain it as much as possible.”