Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell honors late Aaron Lowe in practice

Last week, tragedy struck Utah as Utah Utes defensive back Aaron Lowe was shot and killed at a house party, and Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell honored his legacy at a broadcasted team scrimmage. Instead of donning his typical 45, Spida wore Lowe’s 22 as a tribute to the young man’s life that was cut horrifically short.

“I wanted to pay my respects” Mitchell told reporters after practice.

“I wore it in Vegas a couple of times”.

Unfortunately, the Utah Utes are no stranger to tragedy. Earlier this year, Utes running back Ty Jordan was also fatally shot. Aaron Lowe vowed to carry out his legacy. Instead, he became another victim of senseless gun violence.

In fact, Lowe was the first recipient of the Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship, and switched his own number from 2 to 22 to honor his childhood friend. That he would lose his young life in a similar fashion is a twist of fate too cruel to imagine.

Mitchell wore 22 during the Utah Jazz practice in an effort to preserve Lowe’s legacy. Currently, the deceased football player’s family has set-up a GoFundMe to raise money in order to give Lowe an appropriate memorial service.

“We want to give Aaron the memorial he deserves, to honor his memory and respect for his life. I’m currently asking for donations to help cover the cost of Aaron’s funeral. We need to raise as close to $15 000 as possible to afford the funeral service”.

It’s difficult to write about death without resorting to cliches, but the passing of these two young men is truly every parent’s worst nightmare. Their memories should be a driving force in every Utah sports event this year, including each and every Utah Jazz home game.

Typically, we don’t cover such grave issues at the J-Notes. However, it’s of paramount importance that fans of the Utah Jazz, and Utah sports in general, preserve the memory of these two young men. Kudos to Donovan Mitchell for doing exactly that.