Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell unsure about defending Dunk Contest title

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell is very much up in the air regarding whether or not he plans to defend his Slam Dunk Contest title.

Utah Jazz Media Day provided us with lots of meaningful insight into what we should expect about the upcoming season. From Thabo Sefolosha being willing to play whatever position is required of him, to Jae Crowder slimming down in hopes of turning over a new leaf, to Rudy Gobert planning on his best season yet and much, much more.

But one interesting tidbit of news came from the interview with Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is obviously excited for the upcoming season and plans to not just build off of last year, but rather to leave the past in the past and forge a new and exciting path this season.

However, to the surprise of some, that new path may not include a repeat as the NBA Slam Dunk Champion. When asked whether or not he would plan to participate in the All-Star Weekend event for a second straight year to defend his title, Donovan was quite non-committal. He responded by saying, “I don’t know” a few times and ultimately settled on “We’ll see.” Far from a concrete response.

You can check it out yourself in the video below courtesy of Eric Woodyard–

I can see where Donovan may be somewhat hesitant. He was added as an alternate to the event last year to replace the injured Aaron Gordon, and shocked the world by going on to win despite being pinned by many as an afterthought. Perhaps he feels he’s already done enough by winning the award once in that situation and doesn’t need to prove himself again.

Or maybe Mitchell realizes that in many cases, the Dunk Contest is for younger, less-experienced players. And as he aims to establish himself as a bona fide star, not just a hyper-athletic guard who can throw it down, he may want to leave his Dunk Contest days behind him.

Or perhaps this is all a front, and when push comes to shove, the competitiveness within Donovan will shine forth and he’ll aim to defend his title once again. His performance in the 2018 Dunk Contest was awesome, but I’m confident that the exhilarating star can pull more out of his repertoire to impress even further in 2019.

We’ll see what he decides when the time comes. But honestly, whether he participates or not, I’m confident saying that Utah Jazz fans are mainly excited to see what he does on the court in games and events that truly matter. The Dunk Contest was a nice perk last season, but I have a feeling that Mitchell is destined for much, much more.

And I’m confident he’ll start showing that in force this upcoming season.