Utah Politician Introduces Bill 'Honoring Donovan Mitchell Over Shaquille O’Neal’
On Tuesday, Rep. Kera Birkeland, a Republican from Utah's House District 53, introduced a resolution that seeks to “recognize the exemplary service of Donovan Mitchell to the Utah Jazz" and suggests the "consideration of making the 'Spida' the official state arachnid."
The bill's introduction comes just days after Inside the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal criticized Mitchell during a postgame interview following a 36-point, seven-rebound, five-assist performance.
"The claim by Shaquille O'Neal (Shaq) on January 21, 2021, that Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell Jr. (Donovan) doesn't have what it takes to get to the next level is even less accurate than his 50.4% playoff free-throw percentage (slightly worse than Donovan's 88.1%)," one line of the resolution, which is titled "House Resolution Honoring Donovan Mitchell Over Shaquille O'Neal, reads.
It later goes on to note that "'Kazaam' has a 5% rating on rotten tomatoes" and that "Shaq under-develops his hot takes almost as well as his 1990s 'Shaq Fu' video game."
The resolution additionally advocates for the 24-year-old guard's off-court achievements.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen, the resolution went through the chamber by way of a 67-5 vote on Tuesday.
"Aight. That's it," the resolution concludes, echoing Mitchell's initial response to O'Neal's criticism last Thursday.
The Jazz enter Tuesday night's game with the Knicks 12-4 on the season, having won eight straight games. Mitchell is averaging 24.3 points and five assists per game.
