My Love for the Utah Jazz was embedded into my heart by my dad through my entire childhood. From Jr Jazz games, listening to the games on the radio, screaming at the T.V. and nose bleed seats at the “Delta Center”….. I am and forever will be a Jazz fan.
I was taught to love the Jazz as a whole team. If someone came to the team, we rooted for them, when they left, that was the last I really followed them. I have never been a fan girl of one single player. I however, have always been a sucker for the rookies on the team. Maybe it is because my dad loves to cheer on the underdogs but I have always cheered on the rookies that find themselves in Utah. I started cheering for rookies starting with AK 47, (honestly, I think it was because I thought his nick name was so clever) I then moved to cheer on the rookie Paul Millsap not because he was over the moon amazing but strictly because he was a rookie and I honestly was the most bummed when he left than anyone else before. I was also excited about Hayward mostly because he was really helping the team but he looked so similar to one of my childhood and current close friends that it honestly freaked me out so I wasn’t too mad about him leaving last year… and we all know how that turned out… yikes.
After meeting Morgan, I had always known him to love the Heat and assumed his favorite player on the team was LeBron James. I quickly found out that this was not 100% accurate…. when Lebron left the Heat in 2014 I was so annoyed to find out that all that Miami Heat swag that we had gotten for Morgan was now obsolete! I could not believe it! I guess I just didn’t understand the concept of being loyal to a player and not just the team. When I understood Morgan’s perspective, I was a little jealous…. I wanted to find a player that I could follow. So 3 years later… I am so excited that I have finally found a player that I respect and honestly am hardcore crushing….
While I know that everyone and their dog is obsessed with Donavan Mitchell, I have never been so excited about a player on the Jazz in my life. I was so excited when we got another rookie and was even more pumped when he was able to play the very first game and played so well. I decided that for at least this 2017 – 2018 season I was going to be Mitchell and his yellow shoe cheerleader. I had NO clue that he was this amazing, honestly I don’t think anyone did but after each game I grew to respect him more and more especially as I followed him on social media and saw how much he loved his sister and treated his momma with respect.
Come December, I saw on his Instagram that he was going to be at a mall fairly close to my home so I sent out a text to Morgan and our friend and let them know I was going to meet Donavan Mitchell and they were welcome to join me if they wished…. I got there 2.5 hours early and waited and waited and waited in line….
Morgan and our friend ended up meeting up with me just in time to wait another 45 min and have the line be cut off RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!! Yeah you can believe I was pretty disappointed…. but the crazy thing was that they had to turn away THOUSANDS of people that they didn’t anticipate. I mean I was so bummed that we were barely there! But that just made me more determined to finally meet Donavan!
On February 23rd, I made it closer to Donavan than ever before at the Jazz game and
almost had a freak out just knowing he was RIGHT there! We were so lucky to have 5th row seats and be behind the hoop that the Jazz were warming up with! Every time we go to a game I am blown away at how BIG these guys are! Watching them on TV just doesn’t do it justice. I always say that It isn’t worth going to the game unless it is in the lower bowl. Once you are spoiled with lower bowl seats, the nose bleeds just aren’t the same especially after this game! I could have yelled Donavan’s name, but I refrained because 1. I was fan girling and freaking out. 2. I wanted to be around to watch the game and didn’t want to get kicked out and waste these awesome tickets!
(This game was especially cool because Donavan was awarded his Slam Dunk Trophy.)
I found out about this signing by a co-worker who knew I was trying to meet Donavan. He saw it on a facebook page and I scrambled to figure out the details. I texted Morgan and our friend and BOOKED it over to the dealership 2.5 hours before he was supposed to be there! I was over the moon excited when I was the 20th person in line and basically guaranteed a signature! Our friend wasn’t able to make it and Morgan was a maybe because of work so I was there hanging out in line crossing my fingers that Morgan would be able to get there!
On Wednesday March 14th I finally met Donavan Mitchell… The Slam Dunk Champ, the future ROTY….FACE TO FACE
!
I found out about this signing by a co-worker who knew I was trying to meet Donavan. He saw it on a facebook page and I scrambled to figure out the details. I texted Morgan and our friend and BOOKED it over to the dealership 2.5 hours before he was supposed to be there! I was over the moon excited when I was the 20th person in line and basically guaranteed a signature! Our friend wasn’t able to make it and Morgan was a maybe because of work so I was there hanging out in line crossing my fingers that Morgan would be able to get there!
3 hours later Donavan came out and the line started moving! With Donavan starting late and me letting people go ahead of me, Morgan was able to get over just in time and WE MET DONAVAN! Both of us walked up to him and sheepishly stood next to him to take a picture. Morgan put his arm around him and in his words “shared an arm rest”. After the picture he patted Donavan’s back, said “thanks man” and walked away… I was so flustered that I just stood there, he looked at me clearly confused because of this strange blonde girl standing there… the only thing my brain could think to do was reach out my hand to shake his and said “You are amazing and we are truly rooting for you”…. (like he cares … hahaha what in the world?! ) he thanked me, and I literally just turned and walked away! Oh my gosh I get embarrassed just thinking about it! …. Morgan and I both stood there and just watched him signing autographs like creeps and talked to each other about all the things we were wanting to say but instead stood there like awkward mutes….
We finally decided to leave and on the way out I mentioned that there was a drawing and Morgan should enter, he shrugged and filled out a form and we made our way back to our cars in the rain both trying to grasp what had just happened….
As if that wasn’t enough, 2 days later, we got our photo back of us and Donavan and found out that Morgan actually won a TV from that drawing! WHAT THE HECK! We both didn’t believe it was real until Morgan went over to pick it up after work and turns out, it was real!
So yeah, Donavan paved the way for us to get a free TV, was kind and patient with our star struck awkwardness and still let everyone in the room know that I shook his hand! Thats all, the end, I cant believe that actually happened. I have officially declared Donavan Mitchell as my player, I will follow him until the day he retires.