Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert’s second All-Star appearance isn’t as emotional, but will give them the chance to face each other

Donovan Mitchell acknowledges that the second All-Star nomination felt different than the first, for both he and teammate Rudy Gobert.

“Last year was great because it was our first ones,” Mitchell said. “I think it was a little more emotional because it was our first one. You play the game to win and to get these accolades. I think that’s something that him and I definitely looked at as a big moment.”

Gobert’s comments reflected that too. “I try not to take it for granted,” he said, indicating that, well, it would be possible to take it for granted.

“But if you told me 10, 15 years ago that I was going to be an All-Star someday — I mean, it was a dream. It was just a dream. I would have never believed that it could be possible,” Gobert said. “You know, I just wanted to be a NBA player.”

But while this nod was perhaps less effective at tugging the heartstrings than the first, both Mitchell and Gobert say that this second selection feels better in one specific way: Because of the team success that the Jazz are having, the award feels more like a recognition of success as a group, rather than an acknowledgement of individual stardom.

“How we’re looking as a group and the fact that the coaching staff will be there, too, I think that’s something that’s really, really special,” Mitchell said. “The fact that we’re here at this spot ... I think is what makes it dope.”

The pair of Jazz stars have led their team to a 27-9 record, the best in the NBA so far by 2.5 games. Mitchell is putting up 24 points, five assists, and five rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Gobert adds 14 points and 13 rebounds per contest, but does his best work on the defensive end — he’s the leading candidate for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, which would be his third.

Both noted the absence of Mike Conley from the game as an All-Star snub, but said that they’d try to represent all of their teammates at the game itself.

“Me and Don are going to be out there representing what we’ve been doing as a team and as an organization,” Gobert said. “And, you know, it’s just a great blessing.”

Yes, Mitchell, Gobert, and the Jazz’s coaching staff will head down to Atlanta to participate in the NBA’s 71st annual All-Star Game on Sunday, though this one is a little unusual. Instead of a full weekend of All-Star related activities, parties, events, and more, everything has been compressed into one evening of entertainment.

The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take place on Sunday before the game begins at 4:30 p.m. MT — Mitchell is one of the participants in the 3-Point Contest this year, along with Devin Booker (Suns), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Zach LaVine (Bulls), and Jayson Tatum (Celtics). Mitchell will try to be the first Jazz player to win the contest since Jeff Hornacek did it in 1998 and 2000.

Later, the All-Star Game itself will start at 6 p.m. MT, with the Slam Dunk Contest taking place as the game’s halftime entertainment. Obi Toppin (Knicks), Anfernee Simons (Blazers) and Cassius Stanley (Pacers) will battle it out in that event.

While Gobert won’t be participating in the auxiliary activities in Atlanta, he will be the star of another show on Sunday. ESPN’s E60 documentary series is releasing their film on Gobert, entitled “Man in the Middle: The Rudy Gobert Story” Sunday at 9:30 a.m. MT on ESPN. That documentary will also air two weeks later on March 20 on ABC at 1:30 p.m. MT.

After Thursday’s All-Star Draft resulted in the pair being the last All-Stars selected — Mitchell will be on Team Durant, while Snyder will coach Gobert and the rest of Team LeBron — the pair will be on opposite sides of the All-Star coin after playing on the same team last year.

Mitchell noted that playing against Gobert wouldn’t be that unusual, as the two have faced off in international competition before. The most notable example was their battle in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, when France beat the U.S. 89-79. Mitchell had 29 points, six rebounds, and four assists that night, while Gobert had 21 points and 16 rebounds, dominating inside — even blocking his Jazz teammate twice.

But playing against Snyder? That’s a first for Mitchell.

“Playing against coach, I think that would be definitely a different experience. You know, he’ll probably game-plan against me in all the right ways,” Mitchell laughed.