Donovan Mitchell Throws Shade at ROY Race with Hoodie Defining Rookie on It
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell used his wardrobe to make a pregame statement Tuesday night.
Prior to Utah's tilt against the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Mitchell rocked an Adidas hoodie with the definition of the word "rookie" on it.
It reads: "An athlete playing his or her first season as a member of a professional sports team."
The hoodie is an obvious shot at Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons, who recently told ESPN.com's Chris Haynes he believes he is "100 percent" the Rookie of the Year and doesn't think any other players have challenged him for that honor.
"None," he said. "I want to be where the greats are. So, for me, I watch the guys like [Kevin Durant], [LeBron James], [Stephen] Curry, Russell [Westbrook]. Guys like that. That's where I want to be. I think for me, that's what I love to watch."
Mitchell responded on Tuesday and said he isn't spending time thinking about individual hardware.
"I really don't care," he told Haynes. "The biggest thing for me is that we're in the fourth seed and fighting for the third seed. If I'm worrying about individual awards, I'm giving up on my teammates and what we're trying to build here. Clearly, I'm not the one losing sleep over this. I don't care."
Mitchell and those supporting his candidacy believe the NBA shouldn't consider Simmons a rookie since the Sixers drafted him in 2016, not this past June. Simmons missed his entire first season due to a foot fracture he suffered during training camp.
But according to Mitchell's hoodie, Simmons should be considered a rookie since he is technically playing his first season.
Simmons and Nike have yet to issue a response—the Sixers were busy taking on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday—but it likely won't be long until we get one.
