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Utah Jazz: Even in defeat, it’s hard not to cheer for Mitchell & Co.

Ryan Aston|
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz signs autograph on sneaker for a fan before the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 21, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jasear Thompson/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz signs autograph on sneaker for a fan before the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 21, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jasear Thompson/NBAE via Getty Images)

Even as their five-game win streak snaps at the hands of a sub-.500 foe, the Utah Jazz remain winners off the court, as well as on.

On Thursday night, the Utah Jazz dropped a game in heartbreaking fashion to the Atlanta Hawks. And while the Hawks are a team on the rise — led by budding stars Trae Young and John Collins — and we’re talking about a road game on the wrong side of a back-to-back, losing to a team that’s battling for ping-pong balls is never fun.

Despite the L, though, this group of Jazzmen make it pretty hard to get too upset when things don’t go their way.

They’re just too darn nice.

Over the past few days, several Jazz players — namely, Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Gobert — have proven themselves winners off the court, once again, with acts of do-goodery.

The latter two got to work during Utah’s bout with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Rubio, who devotes a lot of time and resources to cancer-related causes, flew 12-year-old Luca de la Vega, a boy who is battling cancer, and his family in from Spain to attend the game. After the Jazz win, Luca was even able to do some post-game press work —

Meanwhile, Gobert invited kids from Fresh Youth Initiatives — a New York-based effort to empower children who have the fewest resources to achieve their greatest potential — to attend the game on his dime.

Not to be outdone, Mitchell surprised Naja Brooks, the daughter of his former fourth-grade teacher, Deborah Peart, with a $25,000 check to help with her college tuition. It was done through his newly formed charitable effort, SPIDACARES.

Mitchell also gave Naja a pair of autographed sneakers, as has been his pre-game ritual recently.

Cynically, one could say that this is just the kind of thing the NBA does for PR points and, really, just about every player in the league has some kind of foundation (for which there are varying levels of actual player involvement).

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The Jazz do things just a little bit different, however. In many ways, their community efforts are equal in weight to their on-court exploits. And this current crop of Jazzmen are among the best the franchise has seen in pushing the agenda.

So while a loss to the Hawks and the drop from sole possession of fifth place in the West to a four-way tie at the bottom of the playoff bracket definitely don’t feel amazing, the Jazzland masses still have plenty to cheer about with their squad.

The Jazz are winners off the court, as well as on.

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