WASHINGTON — As the Utah Jazz’s private plane touched down in New York during the wee hours of Tuesday morning, “The Ruler’s Back” by Jay-Z was blasted upon the request of Donovan Mitchell.
In many ways the song was symbolic of the occasion.
As a young boy, Mitchell would often survey the action from the nosebleed section of Madison Square Garden but has returned to face his hometown Knicks on Wednesday as a rising star for the Jazz.
Reminiscing on those days of watching Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Amar’e Stoudemire and Jason Kidd from atop of the World’s Most Famous Arena brought a huge smile to the 22-year-old’s face following a 19-point performance against the Wizards on Monday.