Donovan Mitchell

Seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA Team member, known as 'Spida'.

via Wikipedia: Donovan Mitchell · see source

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.

Quick Facts

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: Shooting guard
League: NBA
Born: 7 September 1996
Birthplace: Elmsford, New York, U.S.
High school: Canterbury School (New Milford, Connecticut); Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire)
College: Louisville (2015–2017)
Draft round: 1

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.

Reader's Guide

Mitchell was born on September 7, 1996, to parents Donovan Sr. and Nicole in Elmsford, New York. He attended Canterbury School for his first two years of high school, then Brewster Academy for his junior and senior years. He committed to the University of Louisville. As a freshman at Louisville, he started in no more than five games and averaged 7.4 points, 1.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. Over his sophomore season, he averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game, shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 35.4 from three, and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line. He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference. He declared for the 2017 NBA draft after his sophomore season.

Did You Know?

Mitchell's mother is of Panamanian and African American descent, and his father is African American.
He played AAU basketball with future Cavaliers teammate Ty Jerome when they were eight years old.
Mitchell was present at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut, when LeBron James announced his decision to sign with the Miami Heat in 2010.
He wore number 45 at Louisville in appreciation for Michael Jordan, who wore that number during his baseball career and early NBA comeback.
Mitchell was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 13th overall pick in 2017 and traded to the Utah Jazz.