"Believe it or not, I've been preparing for this since I was a kid."
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 18, 2018
>> https://t.co/08qed7wQSA pic.twitter.com/DXeRc649PI
Dr. Dunkenstein proud of Mitchell
For one of Mitchell’s jams, he paid homage to former Jazzman Darrell Griffith a.k.a. Dr. Dunkenstein and pulled off an amazing dunk over Kevin Hart, Hart’s son and Donovan’s sister. The dunk was a thrilling one that helped propel Mitchell into the final round.
And following the contest, it appears that Griffith himself was very much pleased as he showed excitement that Mitchell would rock the number 35 and gave Donovan his heartfelt congratulations.
From Darrell Griffith:
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 18, 2018
"I picked Donovan to win it, but to have him represent #35 made my night! Congrats, D! -#Dunkenstein" pic.twitter.com/JciyL2Mw7T
Donovan Mitchell talks about why he paid homage to Darrell Griffith. pic.twitter.com/yBAAUnQbBZ
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 18, 2018
Griffith wasn’t the only legend to give Mitchell high props, as Dunk Contest judge Julius Erving expressed a similar sentiment:
Dr. J tells @sinow: “The right guy won the Dunk Contest. [Donovan Mitchell] brought back Dr. Dunkenstein, Darrell Griffith, and not everybody knows who that is.”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 18, 2018
Yes, Mitchell became Dunkenstein 2.0 and certainly did not disappoint.