Defending champ Mitchell will skip dunk contest

Donovan Mitchell

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell will not defend his crown at the 2019 All-Star Dunk Contest, he told reporters yesterday at the Jazz’s shootaround.

“It really stems from when I got hurt, the three different times I got hurt this year. I remember last year when I came back from All-Star, I was tired,” said Mitchell, who captured the title as a rookie.

“Fortunately, we had some days where I could rest, but there would be days where I wouldn’t go to the gym and I would just sleep and get rest.