Donovan Mitchell: Everything you need to know about four-time NBA-all-star guard

Cleveland Cavaliers Guard Donovan Mitchell brings the ball up court during a NBA game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls. Image source: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire

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Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell: Everything you need to know about four-time NBA-all-star guard

Kolawole Babatunde 19:07 - 03.10.2023

Donovan Mitchell Jr. is a professional basketball player in the NBA, and he currently represents the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is a four-time NBA All-Star. Donovan was a first-round and 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets before getting traded to the Utah Jazz. Mitchell was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in his rookie year with the Utah Jazz and won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2018. The Jazz traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022.

Donovan Mitchell profile summary

Full name: Donovan Mitchell Jr.

Gender: Male

Date of birth: September 7, 1996

Age: 27 years (as of October 2023)

Place of birth: Elmsford, New York, U.S.

Current residence: Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Afro-american 

Religion: Christianity

Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Weight: 98 kg (215 lbs)

Hair color: black

Eye color: black

Father: Donovan Sr.

Mother: Nicole

Siblings: Jordan (sister)

Marital status: single 

Education: Canterbury School (New Milford, Connecticut), Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire), University of Louisville 

Positions: point guard and shooting guard

Jersey number: 45

Current team: Cleveland Cavaliers 

Net worth: $20 million

Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell in action for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Image source: @spidadmitchell/Instagram Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Who is Donovan Mitchell?

Donovan Mitchell was born in Elmsford, New York, U.S., to his father, Donovan Sr., and mother, Nicole. His mother is of Panamanian descent and is a teacher, while his father is a former Minor League Baseball player and the director of player relations for the New York Mets. Due to his father’s MLB jobs, Mitchell spent his childhood around Major League Baseball locker rooms.

He has one sibling, a sister named Jordan. Mitchell earned his famous nickname "Spida" from a friend and former teammate's father, as they likened him to a spider due to his long arms and ability to get a lot of steals.

Donovan Mitchell as a kid

As a seven-year-old kid, Mitchell looked up to the star pitcher of the Mets' minor-league ssystem,Scott Kazmir and David Wright. Wright’s poster was the first he ever hung on his wall.

Where is Donovan Mitchell from?

Mitchell is from Elmsford, New York, U.S., which was his birthplace. Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States.

How old is Donovan Mitchell?

Mitchell was born on September 7, 1996, in New York, USA, and is 27 years old as of October 2023.

How tall is Donovan Mitchell?

Mitchell is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 98kg. His long arms aid his ability to get loads of steals, which is a strong feature of how he plays.

Donovan Mitchell Education

After graduating from Greenwich Country Day School, Mitchell attended Canterbury School in New Milford for his first two years of high school. He played baseball for Canterbury, but his high school baseball career ended quickly in his sophomore year after he sustained an injury. Mitchell’s mother transferred him to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, for his junior and senior years. At Brewster, he made basketball his focus.

After high school, Mitchell opted for the University of Louisville to play college basketball, wearing the number 45 jersey in appreciation for Michael Jordan, who wore the same number during his baseball career and the early part of his NBA comeback in 1995.

 Donovan Mitchell stats

As a freshman at the University of Louisville, Mitchell started just five games, averaging 7.4 points, 1.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds for the season. Through his sophomore season, he averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor as well as 35.4 from behind the arc and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line. His performance earned him a place on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team.

Donovan Mitchell draft

Donovan Mitchell at Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell 45 of the Utah Jazz dunks the ball during their NBA, Basketball Herren, USA game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday March 29, 2022 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Image source: Ariana Ruiz/PI Donovan Mitchell at Utah Jazz

In 2017, Mitchell revealed his plan to join the NBA draft after a successful sophomore campaign in college basketball. The Denver Nuggets drafted him as the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, only to be traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the 24th pick, Tyler Lydon, and Trey Lyles.

When did Donovan Mitchell get traded?

Mitchell has been traded twice in his career. The first was by the Denver Nuggets after his NBA draft in 2017, when he was traded to the Utah Jazz after the Nuggets originally took him as the 13th overall pick.

The second time he was traded was in 2022, from the Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps.

 Donovan Mitchell to the Cavs

Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell attempts a slam dunk for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Image source: @spidadmitchell/Instagram Donovan Mitchell

On September 3, 2022, in a shocking trade by the Jazz, Mitchell was traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton (via sign-and-trade), No. 14 overall pick Ochai Agbaji, the Cavaliers’ unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Cavaliers in both 2026 and 2028.

Donovan Mitchell contract

Mitchell signed a four-year rookie-scale contract worth $14.56 million with the Utah Jazz on July 5, 2017. Three years later, in 2020, he signed an extended 5-year contract worth $163 million with an annual average salary of $32,600,060, which kicked in during the 2021–22 season.

Mitchell earns $32,600,060 as his annual salary in his current contract and has a cap hit of $33,162,030. However, he has the opportunity to exercise his player option by the end of his contract (2025–26 season). The Cavaliers guard then becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Donovan Mitchell's net worth

Donovan Mitchell net worth
Donovan Mitchell is estimated to be worth around $20 million as of 2023. Image source: @spidadmitchell/Instagram Donovan Mitchell net worth

He is estimated to be worth around $20 million as of 2023, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Mitchell also has endorsement deals to his name, such as his shoe line deal with Adidas. 

Donovan Mitchell jersey

Since his days at the University of Louisville playing college basketball, Mitchell has worn the number 45 jersey in appreciation for Michael Jordan, who wore the same number during his baseball career and the early part of his NBA comeback in 1995.

What is Donovan Mitchell's career high?

Mitchell put up his most points in a game against the Chicago Bulls on January 2, 2023, with 71 points. Holding the record for the highest single-game score among active players, he helped the Cavs rally from 21 points down to a 145-135 overtime win. Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff called it “one of the greatest performances in the history of the NBA”. 

What is Donovan Mitchell's vertical? 

Mitchell posted a 36.5-inch no-step vertical at the NBA Combine in 207, a vertical jump of 40.5 inches, which is considered a very high jump.

Are Donovan Mitchell and Davion Mitchell related?

Although they share the same initials and last name and both play in the NBA, Donovan Mitchell and Davion Mitchell are not brothers. Davion plays for the Sacramento Kings.

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