Donovan Mitchell Hits Up Utah BBQs on 1⃣-Year Anniversary of Hayward’s Departure

On Independence Day morning, Donovan Mitchell woke up looking for something to do in Utah, so he relied on social media for some direction.

“Where’s the BBQ’s at Salt Lake??? Might just pull up,” Mitchell tweeted at 10:13 a.m. on Wednesday.

Within seconds, the status blew up with more than 16,000 likes and 700-plus comments.

True to his word, the Utah Jazz star did actually hit up a few of the local spots — including a house party in Sandy, where he actually jumped in the pool to shoot hoops. Sam Winder shared the photo of Mitchell with a basketball in his hands while in the pool later that day on Twitter.

“I just thought of it when I woke up and fortunately, I found a few spots,” Mitchell said. “That wasn’t the only one. I made it to about two or three but that was the farthest. That was out in Sandy. So it was pretty cool.”

Donovan Mitchell shares the experience of casually crashing a fan’s house on the 4th of July, which was the 1-year anniversary of Gordon Hayward announcing his move from Utah to Boston:📹 http://v.duta.us/rmB0EwAA

Ironically, Mitchell’s kind gesture took place on the one-year anniversary of one of the biggest heartbreaks in franchise history.

On July 4, 2017, former Jazz star Gordon Hayward announced that he would be leaving Salt Lake City to become a member of the Boston Celtics with an emotional letter titled “Thank You, Utah” on The Players’ Tribune.

"After seven years in Utah, I have decided to join the Boston Celtics," Hayward wrote. "I know that will be tough to hear for Jazz fans — and I really want you all to know that you mean the world to me and my family."