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All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell said his fear of flying would not prevent him from joining the Utah Jazz on future NBA road trips after choosing not to travel to Memphis earlier this week following the flight of the team forced to make an emergency. landing.
The team’s charter plane struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff on Tuesday, causing a fire and engine failure that necessitated an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. The rest of the team traveled to Memphis on a flight hours later, but Mitchell missed Wednesday’s win over the Grizzlies because he felt he needed time to deal with the terrifying incident before to get on a plane again.
The next road game scheduled for the Jazz is Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I know I have a job to do,” Mitchell said in a virtual media availability Friday. “I understand that [flying] comes with the job. I took the time I needed to mentally put myself in the right place. I’ll be fine on Sunday when we leave, but I just needed the time mentally. It was just a full day for me – like, “I can’t take this trip”, not for a game. Some things are just bigger than basketball, and that was just right for me. Everyone has their own things. Mine happens to be [fear of] flying.
“I just needed to take this time, because it wasn’t a feeling [and] sitting just for me to go on a trip. My teammates and 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 like, I cannot. I understand that I have to [fly]. I calmed down and I’ll be good – it should be good, at least I think – for the rest of the season. “
Jazz guards Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson said after Wednesday’s victory that each passenger on the flight feared for their lives for several minutes as the pilots followed their protocols and regained control of the plane. The Jazz felt and heard an explosion – “a loud boom,” said Mitchell – and the flight immediately went into extreme turbulence and banked to the left.
“I got scared right away because I hate flying in general and it doesn’t sound good,” Mitchell said.
Conley estimated that 10 to 15 minutes passed before the pilots contacted the passengers. Like several others on the flight, Mitchell texted family members lest this be the last time he would contact them.
“There was a point where you just felt like it could be it – and the fact that it was out of your control,” said Mitchell, who texted his parents and sister. “You just watch it all happen, and you really don’t know what’s going to happen next. Tell everyone you love them, and you don’t know if this is the last time you’re going to be able to say that really puts life and everything in perspective for you. “
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