Rudy Gobert Had 'Very Honest Conversation' with Donovan Mitchell to Clear Air

After initially seeming like Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell would never be able to play together again, the Utah Jazz stars reconnected with a phone call.

"We had a very honest conversation, and that's all I needed," Gobert told Sam Amick of The Athletic. "You know, after that, once I knew that I told him everything that was on my mind and I heard everything that was on his mind, I knew that we could move forward."

Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March. The NBA went on hiatus soon after. Mitchell later tested positive and was reportedly "extremely frustrated" at his teammate for initially making light of the issue in the locker room, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

"It doesn't appear salvageable," a source said of the players' relationship in April, per Amick, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

After seeing these stories, Gobert decided to speak to everyone directly on the phone.

"We can't be having media and people putting out articles about some stuff that are not helping us and helping the team," he said. "So we just had very honest phone conversations."

The two returned to the court for the NBA restart, but the Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Any doubts about their future together was answered in the offseason, however, with both players signing five-year extensions that keep them under team control through at least the 2024-25 season. 

Gobert believes the conversations with Mitchell were a key to bridging the gap between them:

"For me, it was really that, being able to put myself in his shoes and I think he was able to put himself in my shoes. As two young leaders of this team, when two leaders are able to do that, it can become really powerful. And I believe that's really how we were able to grow. And in a way, we have celebrated our growth as players, as human beings, as players too. And that's a big reason why today we believe we can win a championship together."

The team is on the right track so far in 2020-21, producing the best record in the NBA entering Wednesday at 16-5.