Donovan Mitchell facts for kids

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Donovan Mitchell
No. 45 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Mitchell with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1996-09-07) September 7, 1996 (age 28) Elmsford, New York, U.S.
High school	Canterbury School (New Milford, Connecticut) Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College	Louisville (2015–2017)
NBA Draft	2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Pro career	2017–present
League	NBA
Career history
2017–2022	Utah Jazz
2022–present	Cleveland Cavaliers

Career highlights and awards
6× NBA All-Star (2020–2025) All-NBA Second Team (2023) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018) NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (2018) First-team All-ACC (2017)

Donovan Mitchell Jr. (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). People often call him "Spida".

Donovan was picked in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft. He first played for the Utah Jazz from 2017 to 2022. He has been an NBA All-Star six times. In 2023, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He also won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2018.

Donovan's Early Life

Donovan Mitchell was born on September 7, 1996. His parents are Donovan Sr. and Nicole. He grew up in Elmsford, New York. His mom is a teacher. His dad used to play Minor League Baseball.

Because his dad worked for the New York Mets, Donovan spent time around Major League Baseball teams. When he was seven, he looked up to baseball players like Scott Kazmir and David Wright. Donovan has a younger sister named Jordan. He played AAU basketball in New York City.

High School Basketball Journey

Donovan first went to Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. He played both basketball and baseball there. His baseball career ended in his second year. He broke his wrist during a collision on the field.

After that, his mom moved him to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Donovan focused on basketball there. Brewster Academy had a famous basketball program. This helped him get noticed by college coaches. He was popular at his new school. He even ran for senior prefect. He also acted in school plays. He helped his team win two national championships. Donovan also played streetball games at Rucker Park in New York City during the summers.

College Career at Louisville

Mitchell playing for Louisville in 2017

Donovan chose to wear jersey number 45. This was a tribute to Michael Jordan. Jordan wore the same number when he played baseball. He also wore it when he first came back to the NBA.

As a freshman at the University of Louisville, Donovan did not start many games. He averaged 7.4 points per game. In his second year, he played much better. He averaged 15.6 points per game. He was named to the First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference. After this great season, Donovan decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft.

Donovan's Professional NBA Career

Playing for the Utah Jazz (2017–2022)

Rookie Season (2017–18)

Mitchell playing for Utah Jazz in 2018

The Denver Nuggets picked Donovan 13th in the 2017 NBA draft. But they traded him to the Utah Jazz. On July 5, 2017, he signed his first contract with the Jazz. He also signed a shoe deal with Adidas. In his first NBA game, he scored 10 points.

On December 1, 2017, he scored 41 points against the New Orleans Pelicans. This was a record for a Jazz rookie. He was the first NBA rookie since 2011 to score 40 points in a game. Donovan was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month multiple times.

In February 2018, Donovan won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He was the first rookie to win it since Zach LaVine. He also set a rookie record for most three-pointers in a season. At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

In his first playoff game, he scored 27 points. He led the Jazz to win their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. His 171 points in that series were the third-most ever by a rookie in their first six playoff games.

Sophomore Season (2018–19)

Mitchell with the Jazz in 2019

On October 24, 2018, Donovan scored 38 points. This was his season-high at the time. In January 2019, he had five games where he scored over 30 points. On March 2, he scored a career-high 46 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. He tied this record on April 9 against the Denver Nuggets.

The Jazz played the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. They lost the series in five games. Donovan scored 34 points in Game 3 and 31 points in Game 4.

First All-Star Season (2019–20)

Donovan started the 2019–20 season with 32 points and 12 assists. On January 16, 2020, he tied his career-high with 46 points. On January 30, he was chosen as an All-Star for the first time.

In March 2020, Donovan and his teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. This led to the NBA stopping its season. The league later restarted in the NBA Bubble. On August 17, 2020, Donovan scored 57 points in a playoff game. This was the third-most points ever in playoff history. Six days later, he scored 51 points. He joined Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson as the only players to score 50 or more points twice in one playoff series.

After the season, Donovan signed a big contract extension with the Jazz.

Best Record in the NBA (2020–21)

On February 23, 2021, Donovan was named an All-Star again. This was his second time. He hurt his ankle in April. This made him miss the last 16 games of the regular season. But the Jazz still finished with the best record in the NBA.

In the playoffs, the Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Then they played the Los Angeles Clippers. Donovan scored 45 points in Game 1. He scored 37 points in Game 2. The Jazz took a 2–0 lead. But the Clippers came back and won the series.

Final Season in Utah (2021–22)

Donovan was named an All-Star for the third time in February 2022. In the playoffs, the Jazz played the Dallas Mavericks. Donovan scored 32 points in Game 1. But the Jazz lost the series in six games. After this, the Jazz decided to trade both Donovan and Rudy Gobert.

Joining the Cleveland Cavaliers (2022–present)

First All-NBA Team Selection (2022–23)

Mitchell in 2022

On September 1, 2022, Donovan was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his first game with the Cavaliers on October 19. He scored 31 points. On October 28, he scored 41 points. He and his teammate Caris LeVert both scored 41 points in that game.

On January 2, 2023, Donovan had an amazing game. He scored 71 points! This was a new record for the Cavaliers. It was also the most points scored by any NBA player since Kobe Bryant in 2006. He became only the seventh player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game. He was also the first to do it with at least 10 assists.

On January 26, Donovan was chosen as an Eastern Conference starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. This was his fourth All-Star selection. On March 31, he scored 42 points. This was his 11th game with 40+ points that season. This broke LeBron James's record for the Cavaliers. On April 4, he scored 43 points. This was his fourth straight game with 40+ points. The Cavaliers also won 50 games that season. This was their first time since 1993 without LeBron James.

In his first playoff game with the Cavaliers, Donovan scored 38 points. He also had 13 assists in Game 2. But the Cavaliers lost the series to the New York Knicks.

2023–24 Season

In March 2024, Donovan fractured his nose. He also had a bone bruise in his left knee. This made him miss some games.

In Game 6 of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic, Donovan scored 50 points. He scored over half of his team's points in that game. This was a record for a player trying to win a playoff series. On May 5, he scored 39 points in Game 7. The Cavaliers won the game and moved on to the next round. This was Cleveland's first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993.

2024–25 Season

On July 7, 2024, Donovan signed a new contract with the Cavaliers. On November 2, he made the game-winning shot against the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished that game with 30 points.

Donovan's Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA Games

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017–18	Utah	79	71	33.4	.437	.340	.805	3.7	3.7	1.5	.3	20.5
2018–19	Utah	77	77	33.7	.432	.362	.806	4.1	4.2	1.4	.4	23.8
2019–20	Utah	69	69	34.3	.449	.366	.863	4.4	4.3	1.0	.2	24.0
2020–21	Utah	53	53	33.4	.438	.386	.845	4.4	5.2	1.0	.3	26.4
2021–22	Utah	67	67	33.8	.448	.355	.853	4.2	5.3	1.5	.2	25.9
2022–23	Cleveland	68	68	35.8	.484	.386	.867	4.3	4.4	1.5	.4	28.3
2023–24	Cleveland	55	55	35.3	.462	.368	.865	5.1	6.1	1.8	.5	26.6
Career		468	460	34.2	.450	.366	.843	4.3	4.6	1.4	.3	24.8
All-Star		4	1	22.2	.482	.395	1.000	5.0	5.0	1.8	.3	17.8

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018	Utah	11	11	37.4	.420	.313	.907	5.9	4.2	1.5	.4	24.4
2019	Utah	5	5	38.6	.321	.256	.727	5.0	3.2	1.6	.2	21.4
2020	Utah	7	7	37.7	.529	.516	.948	5.0	4.9	1.0	.3	36.3*
2021	Utah	10	10	34.6	.447	.435	.829	4.2	5.5	1.1	.2	32.3
2022	Utah	6	6	38.2	.398	.208	.881	4.3	5.7	.7	.5	25.5
2023	Cleveland	5	5	41.3	.433	.289	.722	5.0	7.2	2.0	.6	23.2
2024	Cleveland	10	10	38.2	.476	.354	.815	5.4	4.7	1.3	.3	29.6
Career		54	54	37.6	.439	.358	.848	5.0	5.0	1.3	.3	28.1

College Games

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	Louisville	31	5	19.1	.442	.250	.754	3.4	1.7	.8	.1	7.4
2016–17	Louisville	34	33	32.3	.408	.354	.806	4.9	2.7	2.1	.5	15.6
Career		65	38	26.0	.418	.329	.788	4.1	2.2	1.5	.3	11.7

Donovan's Life Outside Basketball

Mitchell in 2023

During his first NBA season, Donovan was on the cover of Slam magazine. He also starred in a TV show called Rookie on the Rise. This show followed him as he tried to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

Donovan is a big fan of the New York Mets baseball team. He often goes to their games when he is not playing basketball. His father, Donovan Sr., has worked for the Mets for over twenty years.

Images for kids

Mitchell with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024