Donovan Mitchell is an American pro basketball player who currently plays shooting guard for the Utah Jazz. He has quickly blossomed into one of the best young players in the NBA. Mitchell was born September 7, 1996 in Elmsford, New York. Growing up, Mitchell’s father worked for the New York Mets in the team’s public relations department, allowing him to have access to a major league clubhouse and spend time around pro athletes.
While he played both baseball and basketball growing up, Mitchell stood out more on the basketball court. He played two seasons of college basketball at Louisville under head coach Rick Pitinio before leaving for the NBA. The Denver Nuggets selected Mitchell 13th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft but quickly traded him to the Utah Jazz.
Mitchell was an All-Rookie First-Team selection in 2018 after scoring 20.5 points per game during his rookie season. Mitchell helped the Jazz make the playoffs in his first two seasons and made his first NBA All-Star Team in 2020. In 2020, Mitchell became one of the first NBA players to test positive for COVID-19, prompting the league to suspend the season.
Mitchell began his high school career at Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. He played both basketball and baseball but saw his baseball career end when he suffered a broken wrist after colliding with his team’s catcher trying to catch a pop up. He spent his junior and senior years at Brewster Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire, helping Brewster to a pair of national championships. During the summers, he played streetball at Rucker Park in New York City. At the end of his senior year, he was ranked among the top-50 players in his class by most recruiting services.
Mitchell chose to play college basketball at the University of Louisville under head coach Rick Pitino. He played a complementary role as a freshman, averaging 7.4 points, 1.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. However, he took a big step forward in what would become Pitino’s final season at Louisville, averaging 15.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. He received First-Team All-ACC honors. After his sophomore year, Mitchell left Louisville and declared for the NBA Draft.
The Denver Nuggets selected Mitchell with the 13th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He was quickly traded to the Utah Jazz for Tyler Lydon and Trey Lyles. As a rookie, it didn’t take Mitchell long to move his way into Utah’s starting lineup. He started 71 of the 79 games he played in during his rookie season. During his rookie year, he averaged 20.5 points per game, which made him an All-Rookie First Team selection. Mitchell also won the NBA Dunk Contest in 2018.
Mitchell continued to make strides during his second pro season. He started all 77 games that he played, averaging 23.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. During the 2019-20 season, Mitchell made the All-Star Team for the first time. However, in March of 2020, he and teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, which caused the NBA season to be suspended. At the time the season was suspended, Mitchell was averaging 24.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
Through the first two seasons of his NBA career, Donovan Mitchell’s rookie contract paid him just $5.7 million. However, his rookie deal will total over $14 million over four seasons. More importantly, he should receive a lucrative extension when his rookie contract expires. In the meantime, Mitchell has endorsement deals with Adidas, Stance, Vivint Smart Home, and BODYARMOR Sports Drink
Donovan Mitchell signed a four-year, $14.5 million deal with the Utah Jazz in 2017.
Mitchell was raised by his parents Donovan Mitchell Sr. and Nicole Mitchell. He has a younger sister named Jordan. Both of Mitchell’s parents were immigrants from Panama. His father played minor league baseball and now works in the front office of the New York Mets. Mitchell was previously in a relationship with girlfriend Deja Lighty. However, there were rumors in September 2019 that the relationship was open and Mitchell was seen with someone else.
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