Donovan Mitchell Shares Unbelievable Details About The Night The NBA Shut Down

Our guest this week is brand new Cleveland Cavalier, Donovan Mitchell. We say this a lot but this conversation is truly special. We get into everything from the trade, to The Knicks to his relationship with Rudy Gobert and more. In this clip he shares unbelievable details about that night in March when NBA and The USA shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter KZbin channel today for more NBA analysis and player interviews.

[@JJRedick]

We get into a lot with Donovan including the trade, the big losses, his relationship w/ Rudy and so much more. This story just really captured us, which is why we decided to lead with it. The ep will be live tomorrow morning. Subscribe if you haven't already.

[@Saiyanzoldyck]

Cam Reddish would be tuff

[@MT-eo5vy]

Hey JJ been subbed since the very beginning, can you guys try getting D Rose on the pod. It would be dope

[@Emmanuel-yp4eq]

That was probably one of the wildest weeks in sports history

[@Kidflash255]

World history*

[@NoName-cn3cp]

@@Kidflash255 universal history*

[@Kidflash255]

@@NoName-cn3cp multiversal history*

[@aFinessing]

@@Kidflash255 omniverse history

[@kmax1223]

Metaversal history

[@_ripVanWinkle_]

Never knew Donovan Mitchell was a great storyteller I almost felt like I was there with him the way he described these events

[@NoName-cn3cp]

I always thought he was ghetto before hearing this interview

[@Jesus_Perez1497]

@@NoName-cn3cp boo

[@NoName-cn3cp]

@@Jesus_Perez1497 I'm your boo? Sorry I'm not LGBTQ.

[@elmalloc]

@@NoName-cn3cp you voted for trump you do not belong here go watch mlb

[@aaroncabbage8572]

@@NoName-cn3cp Na he grew up in West Chester NY. He had money growing up. His dad was a minor league player and now works for the mets

[@jjleblanc8151]

The 9 hours in the locker room could literally be a coming of age film if somebody did it right

[@therealrasmus9966]

there is definetly going to be a film in the future about this

[@jdrummerdd]

Damn I might have to start writing that script 😂😂

[@dh3824]

Tbh it sounds like they just got shitfaced in the locker room. Good looking out CP3 lol

[@johngist3761]

Lol I can imagine the obligatory "crying/fighting scene," after one of the players accuses another being born with a sliver spoon 😆

[@khaitranngoc4176]

@@dh3824 that and them being transported to the hotel, this has potentials.

[@RP0392]

I will never forget that team doctor running through the court to tell the refs. If I remember correctly I think the President gave an emergency speech that night too. Life changing night.

[@adriankendrick4281]

Yes. Also Tom Hanks and his wife got it right around the same time as the shutdown announcement. That was a crazy night indeed.

[@thisizcle140]

And look how stupid it all.looks now

[@MrThyten]

@@thisizcle140 lol yeah.

[@eamcbmsc]

@@thisizcle140 how?

[@UnderGroundSkoopTV]

@@thisizcle140 lol exactly. That was the year of the sheep in chinese mythology

[@TheBeardedGentleman]

The 48 hours around that night are absolutely mindblowing to look back on now. I remember so much was happening at once. We went from "yeah this thing is a little concerning" to "shut the entire world down" in the blink of an eye.

[@logicking3765]

And it turns out it’s still something we don’t have to concern too much.

[@TheHoopaholics]

That shutdown day was possibly the craziest day in NBA history, at least in my lifetime and what I've witnessed. I was in shock. I was like "oh wow, this is actually real..." I can't even imagine it from the players perspective.

[@jdrummerdd]

Also was basically the day the entire country shutdown, pretty wild that we have an event like that which we all can pin point as a moment the world changed.

[@NoName-cn3cp]

I will remember watching this live for the rest of my life

[@sulwhale3171]

@@jdrummerdd funny thing is the sports shutting down is the reason the whole shut down Rudy and Donovan news change the whole world

[@SCUMMY4205]

It was crazy, but we made through. Our kids are gonna be shocked hearing about the pandemic era lmao.

[@YGAnthony]

Such a crazy day and the past years we went through I’m glad everything is mostly normal

[@jaa89623]

What a bizarre moment of history we all lived through. It's interesting looking back how we both under-reacted and over-reacted to the situation.

[@Hasani751]

Right? Unreal.

[@flightjam]

Def overreacted looking back now

[@atribecalledlen3567]

@@flightjam def not considering how many who died from it before the vaccine

[@MrSuperman957]

@@atribecalledlen3567 Not that many people died. Look at the differences in deaths from the year before and after Covid. People talk as if the death rate tripled or something, LOL

[@sevendoubleodex]

@@atribecalledlen3567 and the hundreds of thousands more who died after the vaccine.

[@GonKillua85]

The part where Donovan says the entire world was looking at him, Rudy and Tom Hanks is crazy. I remember that too lol. They mustve felt so embarrassed 😂

[@getsomemoney2433]

Bruh its wild to me that the NBA shut down was the moment that everyone realized stuff was real. Doctors were telling folks for months then 1 NBA player changed everything 😭

[@williefaulker]

Yep! I can't judge because I was one of those people not really taking it seriously 😂 people were definitely treating covid as a meme before the NBA shutdown

[@javianjohnson8746]

You see, THIS right here 2:44 - 3:19 is why I listen to JJ's podcast because NO WAY Donovan gives these types of details in an ESPN interview lol

[@berg249]

I was at that Thunder game and they did not tell anyone what had happened. They just said that the game had been postponed and not even the some of the arena staff knew why it got shut down. It was a crazy disappointing night for everyone.

[@Hellamoody]

Really curious, y'all got refunded I hope right?

[@berg249]

@@Hellamoody We got free tickets to any other NBA game. Full refund would’ve been nice though.

[@Yrnevan]

@@berg249 but the league had no fans for 2 years after that? I’m assuming they deal still stood untill last season?

[@nutmaster652]

The world really was watching Rudy Gobert for a solid week. He was basically Patient 0

[@Gilbertnba]

Because they decided it would be him the first tested, but he's certainly not the one to get it first because days before that, they were playing against the Pistons and at least Wood was playing with symptoms. And remember that Wood was the first player to recover from COVID, days before any Jazz players

[@mgng6103]

love hearing the details to moments like this. The day sports stood still on HBO max is a great documentary

[@NoName-cn3cp]

I remember watching. Covid seemed so far away from my world at that point in time. Watching this unfold live was surreal. This was the moment it became real to me.

[@styrokyte7545]

It was such a shame because teams like the Rockets.and Clippers started to heat up and go on big win streaks and the pressure was amping up on the Lakers to win for Kobe. Waiting those 6 months for the return of the NBA was so painful, especially since it was mid season.

[@noblevenom2858]

The raptors would’ve been in the nba finals if not for covid

[@thisizcle140]

Where in life did u lose cus there was no nba for 6 months?

[@nodefense]

@@noblevenom2858 stop capping dawg they were never getting close

[@rnac5438]

@@thisizcle140 i was home eating doritos for kobe

[@Intr0vertical]

​@@noblevenom2858 Boston owns you

[@javianjohnson8746]

March 11, 2020. I'll never forget that date as it was the day the entire country came to a screeching halt. Ironic that it took for the NBA to shutdown for most of us (yes, even me included) to realize that "Yea, this thing is actually really serious"

[@jasonhernandez6775]

It wasn’t that serious though

[@Gonzoweirdo1]

I mean, yeah it was you know one of those things in the history of our world really or of America. We think of Pearl Harbor, 9/11, the challenger rocket disaster, JFK’s assassination, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the 2008 financial crisis, the great depression, and the Vietnam war. The COVID-19 pandemic was right in there with all of those historical events it will live in infamy in this country. Millions of people died. Our grandchildren will study it.

[@ckq]

That Friday was so weird. No more NBA, all the stuff I was gonna do on Saturday of spring break canceled. That was also the beginning of my downfall socially, academically, personally, etc.

[@ianauki]

hope you're alright now bro 🙏🏾

[@ricardobjj24]

I will never forget that day. The NBA & other sports shutting down is when it started to get serious for me and then Tiger King came

[@kennethko1534]

That night was surreal. I remember going to the supermarket immediately after and it was packed at 10pm, certain things were already going out of stock, so many people were waiting on the self checkout line afraid of other people touching their stuff

[@Superhero18]

Toilet paper! XD The world went nuts.

[@MattGarcyaDC]

Worked in retail during the time it started and man never thought I’d see people fight over toilet papers and Hand sanitizers like they were TVs on BF

[@TempoQuin]

SHOUT OUT CP3 for the wine and food. That's classy move.

[@JordonwithaB]

This was a great story man that was such a wild time. I remember seeing the news and realizing then how serious covid was.

[@KyleNamiteVlogs]

I literally thought that the lockdowns were only gonna last 1 to 2 weeks 💀💀💀

[@marcusash7]

@@KyleNamiteVlogs so did all of the kids who graduated virtually and missed nearly 2 1/2 years of school. Imagine man, it was fun to get those days off then out of nowhere you’re alone at home depressed on tik tok for 13 hrs a day

[@jacobsvetich8735]

No you didn't realize it was serious you were told by the t.v. and you bought in....

[@bbcpfghs]

The moment the game was cancelled and the next like hour after the game are seared into my memory. Definitely a “where were you at when…” kind of moment

[@youtubeburr]

I still remember watching the Knicks vs Hawks game on tv that night and the announcers are saying how the NBA season is expected to be on pause and no one on either team knew what was really going on but as the game continued the crowd got quieter and quieter probably up until the game ended

[@Awkward_Incel]

That was Vince carter's last game too. Hawks were still cheeks so they didn't even make the bubble

[@andrewlebedin2505]

And then watching Cuban react during the mavs game

[@davidlabarr]

I was at that game and recorded everything. I should post it. Players leaving the court with hand sanitizer jugs, the crowd ignoring the close game and cheering for Carter, the news making it around the stadium.

[@justincrabajales3703]

I remember it was yesterday like the whole freaking country was shutting down, but some states weren’t closing down until sports and media were getting infected by Covid. Man, 2020 was the craziest and isolated year in human history.

[@LaughingJokerProd]

CP3 is truly a man of the players, sending 15 bottles

[@BigBallerMares]

It would be good if a lot players documented that nite and a mini documentary was made on it. With players like Donovan retelling that nite and the sequence of event’s throughout the end of their time in the bubble if they made it.

[@njmwape1]

Great stories, would like to hear more from the bubble too

[@sh00ner]

Legit one of the most interesting things I've ever listened to, fantastic stuff boys.

[@DavidBagga]

Donovan Mitchell seems like a good dude to talk to. I didn’t realize how even keeled he comes across during conversations and interviews. Keep up the great work JJ and Tommy 👌🏽🏀

[@NoName-cn3cp]

I thought he was ghetto before hearing this interview

[@xuaava]

Jazz fan. I’ve been waiting for this episode for a year now. They should make a movie about a Jazz staff’s perspective of this night, it could be epic

[@adammoldover8769]

I remember where I was when this all went down -- on an airplane from Maryland to Florida for Spring Training. Was a crazy couple weeks after that.

[@hawjfamily321]

I love these stories. They make your show the best. We don't get these on sports center.

[@darbyhawk]

that was a crazy time, so much was going on

[@ree3119]

Rudy shut down the whole world 😂 Defensive Player of the Decade

[@Sherlock1104]

I remembered getting ready to watch it on tv the same night my school called online learning for the rest of the year

[@DramaMC]

JJ get Russell Westbrook on the Pod asap!!

[@xdashx4962]

I remember I was in college and our Lax team went against the school Gobert was working out at before the Celtics game. all of a sudden after the game everyone on the team tested positive and every sport on my campus was shut down.

[@johnnyslc]

I was at the last Utah home game, in a suite hosting for my job. There were rumblings and rumors of arena staff being taken out in ambulances, I think this was a few nights before the okc game, it was so crazy, everyone was so afraid, even though there was free beer and food…….

[@NoName-cn3cp]

Ok liar

[@thundercloud280_]

I don’t think I or anyone else here will forget this day or the day after when everything started to shut down. The scene at school was wild. Covid was all anyone could talk about. Teachers weren’t even teaching that day. Everyone was excited to get out of school for a while but some were also scared. Even people who don’t know a single thing about the NBA got to know who Rudy Gobert is and watched the video of him touching all the microphones. Just a day like no other.

[@JDubs1464]

I honestly find it more interested Chris Paul had 15 bottles of wine ON DECK

[@baddazzyellaboi]

That's what I'm saying. Props to him tho.

[@Hasani751]

The moment that they shut down the NBA I knew we were fucked…it was surreal. Worst part about it is that that season was gearing up to be one of the best seasons ever.

[@linktown-blue907]

I just remember the next day in the big East tournament, Creighton was playing St. John’s in the big East tournament and at half time, they just stopped the game, and that was it for men’s college basketball for the year

[@fame3188]

This section of the episode brought me to tears. But it’s that moment that made me appreciate life so much more at such a dark time of our lives. Thank you for sharing that Donovan.

[@jacobsvetich8735]

Wow you must be emotionally unstable.

[@johncarranza]

@@jacobsvetich8735 You, on the other hand are mentally unstable.

[@jacobsvetich8735]

@@johncarranza probably!?

[@garryj7939]

Great stories !!

[@Ob33toUchiha28]

I remember i was working at a restaurant and looked up to see if the game had started then see an update that Gobert got Covid and then everything shut down right after and nothing has been the same since

[@ry_an.]

I’ll never forget that day. Also the day my trip to go back to England got cancelled 5 hours before the flight.

[@BigWinnie]

Bro I remember I was at an LSU baseball game and it was wild. I checked my phone and I saw that the games were being canceled right before they were to start. Everyone was so confused. People were telling the players on the field about it was crazy. The next day school was canceled and the world changed forever.

[@thairob]

Never knew Donovan was so thoughtful and well spoken.

[@premkumarsubramanian2056]

Great story!! Good stuff JJ

[@jaredsauber6430]

Love the show guys. This pod just gives fans such insight into the humans playing the game!

[@leslyvee8691]

Drop the full joint

[@janson301]

as a jazz fan i remember staying up all night to see what was the latest on the jazz, i remember it was like midnight and hearing from the news stations that the jazz were still in the locker room and not allowed to leave, i thought they were gonna have to sleep in the locker room for the night because it was HOURS of the same thing, "jazz can't leave locker room" and "everyone is in there getting tested" that was the craziest night in sports history

[@xm23ful]

They should do a documentary/narrative film of this of the team in this situation if there hasn't

[@leatherface964]

I remember watching the Mavs game that night when they announced mid game that the season is shutting down

[@noah18150]

I can only imagine how Ed Davis felt that night lol

[@SemiSauced]

Why don't you guys post the full then the snippet?

[@C-Thunder]

I remember that day like it was yesterday and especially hearing about the OKC's head medical personnel literally sprinting out of Utah's locker room.

[@davidlabarr]

I was actually at the last game played in the NBA, which was the Hawks game, Vince Carter’s last game. When was posted about canceled, nobody cared any more than just barely. Everybody wanted Vince to get the ball.

[@MylotheZooLovingScientist]

It's crazy that of all the things I remember about this night, the thing I remember most is that Dallas was blowing out Denver and that Boban dropped almost like 30 points or something, lol.

[@ConversationsOfConsequence]

His face in the thumb nail says it ALL😭

[@BIGBURT]

I remember being in gym class my sophomore year of high school and sitting with all the basketball coaches our phones all buzz at the same time and we look and we all have the same reaction, and we all knew that was the beginning of the end for everything basketball season school year EVERYTHING

[@SagerWorld]

I remember being right outside the arena when the game was announced cancelled. Scary moment almost felt apocalyptic

[@phillipvialpando2605]

Crazy seems so long. The shutdown made me realize how serious the situation was at the time.

[@ConversationsOfConsequence]

Interesting to see the reports of Mitchell being mad at Rudy were legit

[@L0L-.-001_]

it all happened so fast. such a surreal time

[@michaelsharp3615]

I think COVID was going around as early as December 2019 and NBA players had it earlier that year in 2020 but thought of it as a cold or a flu

[@zakis_0588]

The whole week was crazy I remember coming out of pe and seeing the nba was cancelled

[@stephenstark4692]

Yeah my dude is great on the mic!

[@theslouchedsloth9514]

The uneasy and in some way fear struck me when they crowds were being told to go home as the guys were heading into the locker room will be a feeling never recreated

[@kittenkiller06]

Wow that’s super interesting story behind what went down.

[@TheYoungstownCC]

It was literally like Space Jam 😂

[@jdrummerdd]

What a good storyteller

[@xchirs_]

I never thought the moment at The Forum in Space Jam would actually happen in real life

[@goof_yo]

I remember that day, I was excited cause I can finally watch my Kings play on NBA TV cause I don't live in Cali anymore, and I was so let down because of course that game got cancelled

[@OsapWorld]

We need a documentary of that night and days after that

[@stephenlevine3116]

I remember I went to Knicks vs Jazz (In NYC) a week before the shutdown happened. I remember hearing about covid ramping up but thought nothing of it. Next thing you know it I started feeling ill and the NBA shutdown. Turns out I had Covid.

[@Grazzzzzel]

As someone who watches and follows European soccer, I had the feeling the league would get shutdown and was absolutely certain when they announced Gobert had contracted it. There has been a huge number of cases in Italy and Spain and the leagues started to play behind closed doors (fanless) until they ultimately shut down due to a number of players getting the virus. This was probably a week before it really hit in the US.

[@adrienchl4265]

yeah and it was already messing around with the UCL if I remember correctly.

[@TheiPadTube777]

What an interesting take by spida

[@moneyvsfeelings6978]

Remember when you couldn’t get toilet paper

[@Dyswtric2001]

Renaissance versus Residence Inn changes that story a little bit 😂😂

[@maxrobbins4835]

Anyone know where he got that hat from?

[@ivanvillarruz8412]

I was really bummed out when the season was paused back then. Shortly, I was travelling in different cities by order of my company to ensure that all employees had the equipment and connectivity to work from home. Dat was some BS.

[@markusallard2830]

I was at that game in sac. Still kinda bumed i missed zion play

[@coraldelaluna]

Amazing story I had no idea that happened tbh

[@SoloPerICommenti]

As an italian, I remember discussing with people that the NBA was going to shut down for several weeks and all of them not taking it seriously. It was obvious but the NBA tried to wait till the last possible moment.

[@MattGarcyaDC]

Wasn’t Italy like one of the first country to go on full lock down?

[@user-cf1iw7tf3k]

yo why is the volume LOUD AF at the end every time?!

[@305Solo]

It was crazy everywhere. I’m from England so it started to become real when we heard that it had started to spread in Spain, but it was either a Tuesday or Wednesday night when Atletico Madrid were playing a game vs Liverpool so there had been about 3,000 Spaniards flown over to support their team and people had started to question if that was a good idea or if it was safe. Then a couple of days later, the news breaks that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had tested positive for covid and then your mind starts racing: - what if a player catches it? - what if multiple players catch it? - what if someone like Messi catches it? - what if a player dies from it? Before you knew it, the league was shut down and didn’t restart until mid-June. Such a weird period in history.

[@ianauki]

crazy time.. it hurt when the premier league got cancelled

[@Dragond-hw1pl]

imagine seeing the whole Jazz team on the curb drunk.

[@irenejohn8886]

jj really been on fire lately

[@damarrnance4]

Im from Connecticut. I wonder if he from the new London area

[@nc2223]

Bubble Basketball was unforgettable And we were hyped when school was dismissed as students aka College specifically 😂😂😂😂

[@SamGreeneRacing]

I think every single basketball fan knows where they were when that ESPN notification came through.

[@BigBen1994]

Remember Rudy Gobert was touching all those microphones smh 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@ZBirDEveryday]

He’s right. I’ll always remember exactly where I was when the nba shut down due to Covid. That’s when stuff became real

[@arammeraz4269]

I have to say the NBA shutting down that night made me realize that what we were dealing with was the real deal. It honestly might have saved some people. I remember, as soon as I saw all the developments and heard the league was suspended I called my parents to go get water bottles and toilet paper, because I had seen all that stuff run out in Australia. It’s truly something I’ll never forget.

[@vietnam1978]

I remember watching what was happening in the states. Here we are, and they have one million deaths and counting.

[@MrAustinjoe1]

where you get that hat tho

[@scoa]

Love the story! I'm just picturing, though, what would've happened had they suddenly changed their minds and had the game start when the team was all drunk. That would've been a wild game.

[@IAmJordanElijah]

I work at the hotel that the players were staying at and we talk about this night like it was D-Day lmao