Many felt Shaquille O’Neal crossed a line last week in his blunt criticism of Donovan Mitchell. That apparently includes the Utah state legislature, which passed a resolution Tuesday in support of the All-Star guard.
The bill, sponsored by Republican representative Kera Birkeland, refutes O’Neal’s assertion that Mitchell “doesn’t have what it takes to get to the next level,” highlighting the hypocrisy of this claim coming from a player who made barely half his free-throw attempts (his 50.4 percent success rate in the postseason is only “slightly worse” than Mitchell’s 88.1) and whose only discernable “skill” was being “bigger than everyone else.” The resolution goes on to suggest O’Neal’s four titles were largely the result of him riding Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade’s coattails and also references the seven-footer’s starring role in the poorly-received “Kazaam,” which holds an embarrassing 5% rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
Birkeland dressed for the occasion, presenting her bill while wearing a referee uniform. In keeping with that theme, house speaker Brad Wilson donned a No. 45 Mitchell jersey over his button-down. Citing his impact on the community through his “SPIDACARES” foundation, Birkeland proposed that Utah make Mitchell, known by his nickname “Spida,” its state arachnid.
“Donovan has progressively succeeded through talent, dedication and constant effort,” the resolution reads. “Whereas, the following immortal words, once spoken by Bill Walton, apply equally to Donovan: ‘He is a champion of basketball and of the human spirit as well.’”
Tuesday’s legislation appears to have been all in good fun, though maybe next time, Shaq will think twice before going after Utah’s state arachnid. The scorching-hot Jazz, led in large part by Mitchell’s team-leading 23.4 points per game, will put its nine-game winning streak on the line Wednesday against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
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