Donovan Mitchell
Seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA Team member, known as 'Spida'.
Donovan Vernell Mitchell Jr. (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Spida", he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft and acquired by the Utah Jazz, whom he played for from 2017 to 2022. He is a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA Team member.
- Role
- Professional Basketball Player
- Affiliation
- Cleveland Cavaliers (2022–Present), Utah Jazz (2017–2022)
- Draft Status
- 1st Round, 13th Overall Pick (2017)
- Status
- Active Player
- Key Achievement
- NBA All-Star Selections (Seven-time), All-NBA Team Member (Three-time)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Mitchell played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals, earning first-team all-conference honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2017. As a rookie with the Utah Jazz, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2018. He was traded from the Jazz to the Cavaliers in 2022 where he would lead Cleveland to the postseason for the first time since the 2017–18 season and the first without LeBron James since 1997–98. That season, he scored a Cavaliers record 71 points in a game. In 2025, he was named to the All-NBA First Team after leading Cleveland to the best record in the Eastern Conference.
In Their Own Story
In the 2022 trade that moved him from Utah to Cleveland, Mitchell arrived with the goal of revitalizing the franchise. He quickly delivered on that promise, leading the Cavaliers to the postseason for the first time since the 2017–18 season and marking the team's first playoff appearance without LeBron James since 1997–98. That same season, he etched his name in history by scoring a Cavaliers record 71 points in a single game. By 2025, Mitchell had guided Cleveland to the best record in the Eastern Conference, earning him a spot on the All-NBA First Team and solidifying his status as a cornerstone of the franchise's resurgence.
Reader's Guide
Mitchell was born on September 7, 1996, to parents Donovan Sr. and Nicole in Elmsford, New York. His mother, who is of Panamanian & African American descent, is a teacher and his African American father is a former Minor League Baseball player. He attended Canterbury School for his first two years of high school, then transferred to Brewster Academy for his junior and senior years. He committed to the University of Louisville to play college basketball. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft only to be traded to the Utah Jazz for the 24th pick (Tyler Lydon) and Trey Lyles.
Did You Know?
- Mitchell scored a Cavaliers record 71 points in a game in the 2022–23 season.
- He won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2018 as a rookie.
- Mitchell's father is a former Minor League Baseball player and director of player relations for the New York Mets.
- He wore number 45 in college in appreciation for Michael Jordan.
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