SALT LAKE CITY—Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was a guest on the Kelce brothers’ podcast “New Heights,” where he blind-ranked retro NBA jerseys, including one from the Utah Jazz.
The guard discussed several topics, including his first return to Utah, the upcoming Cavaliers playoff run, and retro Jazz uniforms.
We wanted to show some love to Cleveland before the NBA Playoffs kick off
TOMORROW. DONOVAN MITCHELL pic.twitter.com/y4ieoOiIRG
— New Heights (@newheightshow) April 17, 2025
Related: Jazz Unveil Uniforms For 2025-26 Season
Donovan Mitchell Praises Retro Jazz Uniform On Kelce Podcast
In one segment of the Kelce podcast, Mitchell was asked to blindly rank 10 retro NBA uniforms one at a time, not knowing what else was on the list.
The guard praised the Jazz’s 1990s mountain-themed jerseys in his rankings.
“The shorts are elite, the shorts are elite,” Mitchell says of the purple uniforms.
Donovan Mitchell (35 PTS & 7 AST) was HOT in the second half for the Jazz to hold on! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eVx1lxqVOe
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 27, 2019
Former Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Jason Kelce also liked the jersey, with one caveat.
“The only thing I don’t like about this is that jazz has nothing to do with mountains,” Kelce said. “When I think of jazz, I don’t think of mountains.”
Despite Kelce’s concern, Mitchell ranked the Jazz uniform second in his top 10 rankings, beaten out only by the retro Vancouver Grizzlies jersey.
Mitchell Discusses First Return To Utah
Along with his praise for the vintage Jazz jerseys, Mitchell also spoke highly of his return to Utah.
In light of Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas after the Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, the former Jazz guard discussed his first return to Delta Center.
“I was excited for that game, to be honest,” Mitchell said. “At that time, I didn’t know if I was going to get booed, I didn’t know if I was going to get cheered.”
Mitchell was given a warm welcome by Jazz fans in his return, scoring 46 points in a 116-114 Cavaliers loss.
“It was fun, the reception was great,” Mitchell added. “You just feel like you’re playing at home for real because you’re used to the rims, you’re used to all that, the background, you see familiar faces, and the people are great around the organization and whatnot. So it was definitely one of those moments where it was great to go back and see everybody.”
In five seasons with the Jazz, Mitchell averaged 23.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds while the team never failed to qualify for the postseason.
Mitchell is a lock to be named to one of the All-NBA teams this season after leading the Cavaliers to the top record in the Eastern Conference.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.