“In Locker Room For 9 Hours”: Donovan Mitchell Reveals How Chris Paul Helped Him During NBA Shutdown Due to COVID
Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 result that ended the 2019–20 NBA season on March 11, 2020, put the Utah Jazz in the spotlight and set off a chain reaction that altered sports for the next few years. When the NBA stopped games in 2020 because of COVID-19, Donovan Mitchell was still a member of the Utah Jazz and revealed how Chris Paul helped him at that time.
Donovan Mitchell said that the Jazz players ended up getting drunk in the locker room after their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed in an interview on the most recent episode of “The Old Man and The Three” podcast with JJ Redick. Mitchell, who currently represents the Cleveland Cavaliers, spoke openly about his terrifying situation at the time and Chris Paul helping him.
Donovan Mitchell discusses NBA shutdown and Chris Paul helping him during that time
“We were in the locker room for 9 hours after the game. Oklahoma didn’t want us to go anywhere… Shoutout Chris Paul, he gave us 15 bottles of wine. We got drunk, not gonna lie.”
Spending 9 hours in the locker room, getting sent 15 bottles of wine from @CP3, and sitting on a curb outside the Renaissance Inn. @spidadmitchell shares some unbelievable details about March 11, 2020 — the night COVID shut down the NBA. pic.twitter.com/1hlBjS6deO
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) October 21, 2022
Utah was vying for a higher seed in the Western Conference during the game Donovan Mitchell was alluding to on March 11 against the OKC Thunder. The NBA at the time took strict precautions to guarantee that players were COVID-19-free. Finally, permission was granted for the Jazz players and staff to travel back to Salt Lake City. Chris Paul was with the Oklahoma team at that time.
Before being allowed to leave the arena, Mitchell and the other Jazz players were in their locker room for approximately nine hours. The NBA’s 2019–20 season was forced to be suspended until late July before starting up again to close out the year at Walt Disney World. While Mitchell and his Jazz teammates will always have a colorful tale to tell, it’s a moment that many people will never forget.
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