FAQs and Answers About Donovan Mitchell. Donovan Mitchell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). With the 13th overall pick, he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft.
In fact, the extremely talented player is a three-time NBA All-Star. He earned first-team all-conference honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2017 while playing for the Louisville Cardinals. Also, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team as a rookie with the Utah Jazz in 2018. However, he was traded from the Jazz to the Cavaliers in 2022.
Donovan Mitchell Biography
This American professional basketball player was born on September 7, 1996, which makes him 26 years old. Mitchell was born and brought up in Elmsford, New York, U.S. He spent his childhood around Major League Baseball locker rooms with his father serving as a director of player relations for the New York Mets. Already he looked up to Scott Kazmir at the age of seven and later David Wright. Also, he played AAU basketball for both The City and the Riverside Hawks programs out of New York City. The extremely talented basketball player has a height of 6 ft 1 (1.85 m) and a weight of 215 lb (98 kg).
Donovan Mitchell Family
Donovan Mitchell was born to parents Donovan Sr. and Nicole. His father is a former Minor League Baseball player and his mother is of Panamanian descent and a teacher. Mitchell has one younger sister named Jordan.
Donovan Mitchell Career
High School Career
For his first two years of high school, he attended Canterbury School in New Milford after having graduated from Greenwich Country Day School. Aside from basketball, Mitchell played baseball for Canterbury. Despite all this, he incurred an injury that ended his high school baseball career in his sophomore year. In addition, it ended his upcoming AAU season. His mother transferred him to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire for his junior and senior years. Mitchell garnered more attention from college basketball coaches by focusing on basketball and availing of Brewsters nationally prominent program.
In fact, he ran for senior prefect at the end of his junior year as he quickly proved popular among his new schoolmates. Furthermore, he acted in the school musical and gave tours to visiting students. This was in his role as a member of the Gold Key Club. With Brewsters team, he won two prep school national championships. Just like he would later do in college, he spent his summers playing in streetball games at Rucker Park. He did a dunk that went on to be featured on Sports Center at an event sponsored by Under Armour on a Brooklyn basketball court.
The extremely talented player was invited to play in the regional game for the Jordan Brand Classic. Later on, Mitchell committed to the University of Louisville to play college basketball.
College Career
In appreciation of Michael Jordan and the early part of his NBA comeback in 1995, Mitchell opted to wear number 45 on his jersey. For the season, he started in no more than five games as a freshman at the University of Louisville. He was named to the First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference. Mitchell declared for the 2017 NBA draft on the heels of his sophomore campaign though he didn`t hire an agent immediately.
Professional Career
Utah Jazz (2017-2022)
2017-18: Rookie Season
With the 13th overall pick, Mitchell was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 2017 NBA draft. However, he was traded to the Utah Jazz for the 24th pick. A four-year rookie scale contract with the Jazz was signed by Mitchell on July 5, 2017. In addition, a multi-year shoe deal was signed by Mitchell with Adidas on July 11, 2017. Later that day, he scored 37 points in the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the most by any player during the 2017 NBA Summer League. The talented player became the first NBA rookie to score 40 points in a game since Blake Griffin in 2011.
By doing this, he set the Jazz scoring record for a rookie. Also, he became the seventh rookie in franchise history to have a 30-plus point game as well as a 40-plus point game. Mitchell was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December 2017 on January 4, 2018. Furthermore, he became the first rookie to notch two 40-point games as he recorded his second 40-point game of his rookie season. For the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, he was named by the NBA as an injury replacement for Aaron Gordon. This was on February 5, 2018.
Due to games played in February, he was named as the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. Indeed, this was the third time he was earning it and this happened on March 1, 2018. At the end of the regular season on April 12, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month. On May 22, 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
2018-19: Sophomore Season
In the month of January, he recorded a total of five 30-point games including three consecutive such games. As a result, it earned him Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of January 6-13. In the regular season finale, Mitchell tied his career-high 46 points as the Jazz topped the Denver Nuggets 118-108.
2019-20 Season: First All-Star selection
Mitchell was named an All-Star for the first time in his career on January 30. This was as he was being selected as a Western Conference reserve for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. The NBA suspended its season on March 11, 2020, when Mitchell and teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. However, the league was later reinstated within the NBA Bubble four months later. Donovan Mitchell signed a five-year rookie extension with the Jazz during the shortened 2020 offseason. This paid him at least $163 million with an incentivized maximum of $195 million.
2020-21 Season: Best Record in the NBA
Mitchell was named a Western Conference reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on February 23, 2021. This actually marked his second consecutive All-Star selection. After their fourth straight loss to Clippers, the Jazz were eliminated.
2021-22 Season: Final Season in Utah
Mitchell was named a Western Conference reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game on February 3, 2022. Indeed, this marked his third consecutive All-Star selection. In the off-season, the Jazz decided to trade both Mitchell and Gobert after another playoff disappointment.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2022-present)
Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 1, 2022. On October 19, he made his regular season debut putting up 31 points and nine assists in a 108-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He tied his career-high with 12 assists and scored 38 points in a 121-108 win over the New York Knicks on October 30.
Donovan Mitchell’s Net Worth
In his first three seasons in the NBA, Mitchell earned a little over $9 million in salary. He signed a five-year $163 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz in November 2020. Depending on performance milestones, the contract could be worth as much as $195.6 million. According to research, he has a net worth of $20 million.
Donovan Mitchell’s Social Media Handles
Mitchell has 3.6m followers on Instagram and his Instagram handle is @spidadmitchell. His Twitter account is also @spidadmitchell.
Conclusion
Indeed, we can see that this basketball player has achieved a lot. Mitchell is a fan of the New York Mets and frequents their games during the offseason. In fact, his father has worked for the Mets for over twenty years. He has achieved much and with his focus and talent, he will achieve greater things.