LeBron James dissed the Jazz during the All-Star draft selection when remarking on the Utah standouts, Donovan Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert, being the last two selections made, but it appears Mitchell doesn’t need James’ approval.
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Team Durant scooped up Donovan Mitchell and Team LeBron and took Gobert.
“I don’t want to be rude, but I really don’t care. People have been talking s— about me for a while. We’re not doing this to seek the approval of [James],” Mitchell said during Sunday’s All-Star availability Zoom call.
The Knicks passed on Mitchell, the Westchester product, in the 2017 draft to select Frank Ntilikina at No. 8. Mitchell, out of Louisville, fell to 13th and has become a two-time All-Star in Salt Lake City.
He’s had his doubters.
Mitchell said, “Whether I’m picked last or first, I’m here.’’
During the TV draft this past week for Sunday’s game, TNT’s Ernie Johnson showed surprise over the fact that the final two players left in the draft were from the NBA’s best team, Utah.
James said on Thursday, “There’s no slander to the Utah Jazz. You guys gotta understand, just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah. Even as great as Karl Malone and John Stockton was, we would never pick those guys in video games. Never.”
For the records, James once said Dennis Smith Jr. falling to No. 9 in that 2017 draft to Dallas was a shocker and made no mention of where Mitchell was selected.
