After quarantining at home last spring, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell had the chance to see a teacher work through the challenges of educating children during the pandemic. Mitchell’s mother, Nicole, spent three months navigating that new normal for our country’s schools.

So on World Teachers Day, Donovan and Nicole Mitchell surprised two preschools — one in Connecticut and one in the Bronx — with a gift.

The schools will receive the All-Star guard’s new Crayola-inspired DON Issue #2 sneakers as well as a gift pack from Crayola.

“Teachers, as we all know, are so underrated, underpaid,” Nicole Mitchell said during an interview Monday morning on the Today Show. “Having taught through the pandemic for three months, it was challenging but we made it happen. Now these teachers are teaching the full year with this cloud over their head.

“We just need to make sure we give thanks to them, the country as a whole. They’re essential workers.”

Donovan Mitchell also discussed his time in quarantine, the NBA Bubble experience, and his prediction for the NBA Finals. Watch the full interview here:

Watch our full interview with Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) along with his mom, Nicole, to talk about Donovan’s self-quarantine after he was diagnosed with coronavirus. They also share a special surprise in honor of #WorldTeachersDay. pic.twitter.com/pFEukY4SPv

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 5, 2020