Since they were children, they’ve been best friends growing up in Westchester County, New York. Not only did they dominate in the same neighborhood, but they also took their talents to the AAU circuit, where they found equal success, much to the chagrin of others in the “bigger” parts of New York.
But growing up in some of the tougher parts of the East Coast, many talented basketball players fail to ever realize their potential. They can get caught up in other aspects of life or choose different career paths altogether.
However, for Donovan Mitchell and Eric Paschall, there was no way they would let one another fail. They were friends closer than brothers, and their dreams of one day leaving the city to play big-time college basketball was something they would make sure happened.
“We were coming up together, getting better together, and always dreamed we’d be in the NBA,” Paschall said. “We always pushed each other and thought we could make it happen. … We just had to prove ourselves.”
Not only did they each thrive in college — Mitchell at Louisville, where he earned all-ACC first-team honors; Paschall at Villanova, where he won a national title — they accomplished their goal of playing in the NBA.
Mitchell was selected 13th overall in the 2017 NBA draft, making an immediate impact since stepping onto the court with the Utah Jazz. Now in his fifth NBA season, he has three all-star selections and is on the verge of superstardom as one of the elite guards in the game.
For Paschall, his journey has been more unpredictable. He was chosen in the second round of the 2019 draft by Golden State, immediately impacting a rebuilding Warriors team where he was named first-team all-rookie. But injuries forced him out of Golden State’s rotation the following year, and he was then traded to the Jazz — reuniting him with Mitchell.
“It’s still weird,” Mitchell said at the start of the season. “Seeing him every day, it just feels weird, but in a good way. It really happened. … I’m happy that it did.”
“To now be together in the NBA, it doesn’t get any better,” Paschall added. “Nobody really expected us to be where we are at, especially playing on the same team. … We were just two kids from Westchester, and now we are two guys in the league.”
“That’s not my friend, that’s blood.”
Join us for a special deep-dive into the brotherhood of @spidadmitchell & @epaschall for #JazzFeatures.
@nayocampbell | @AFCU
https://t.co/PLIe83xeWN pic.twitter.com/kOVnkpEuqs— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 22, 2022
From having their parents attend their AAU games to now watching them on the same team in the NBA, from playing on those courts in Westchester to sharing the same court at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, it’s safe to say that the journey has officially come full circle for Mitchell and Paschall.
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