Donovan Mitchell: NBA, Charities & Salary [2023 Update]

June 2021 · 9 minute read

Donovan Mitchell is an American-born professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the NBA.

He was the NBA All-Star consecutively for three years, from 2020 to 2022.

He started his professional career about five years ago but has consistently stunned almost everyone with his insane point stats.

Since his debut, the Louisville Cardinal product has scored over 20.0 points in every regular NBA season.

Before his professional league debut, Donovan played college basketball at the University of Louisville for about two years.

Apart from being good at scoring, the Jazz shooting guard is quite good at stealing from his opponents.

He earned the nickname “Spida” while at college due to his ability to extend his arms to the farthest range possible, even though he is just a little over six feet tall.

Moreover, his acrobatic skills and quick pace complement that name very well.

Donovan has been with the Jazz since they picked him in the 2017 draft.

However, according to recent rumors, the New York Knicks are eyeing him for trade, but it is unlikely that the Jazz wants to trade him anytime soon.

Let’s discover more about this contemporary basketball gem’s early life, impressive run in the NBA, personal life, and other details. But, before that, here are some quick facts about him.

Quick Facts

Full NameDonovan Mitchell Jr.
Known AsDonovan Mitchell
Date of BirthSeptember 7, 1996
Birth PlaceElmsford, New York, the USA
Nick NameSpida (or Spider)
ReligionChristianity
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityAfrican-American
Zodiac Sign Virgo
Age27 years old
Height1.85 m (6 feet 1 inch)
Weight215 lb (98 kg)
Hair ColorBlack
Eye ColorBlack
BuildAthletic
Father’s NameDonovan Mitchell Sr.
Mother’s NameNicole Mitchell
SiblingsJordan Mitchell
Food HabitNon-vegetarian
Education
  • Greenwich Country Day School (Greenwich, Connecticut)
  • Canterbury School (New Milford, Connecticut)
  • Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire)
  • University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky)
Marital StatusUnmarried
Sexual OrientationStraight
Girlfriend None
KidsNone
Salary$28.1 million
ProfessionBasketball player
NBA Draft2017 / Round: 1 / 13th pick overall
PositionShooting guard
League National Basketball Association (NBA)
Active Years(2017 – Present)
Net Worth$10 – $20 million
Currently Plays ForUtah Jazz
Jersey Number45
Social Media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
MerchThe Inspiring Story of One of Basketball’s Rising Star Guards (Paperback)
Last UpdateDecember 2023

Donovan Mitchell | Early Life, Family & Education

Donovan Mitchell was born on September 7, 1996, to Donovan Sr. (Father) and Nicole Mitchell (Mother) in Elmsford, New York, United States. He has a younger sister named Jordan in the family.

Born and brought up in New York, he studied in a local school until he reached Grade three.

However, he later got a scholarship to study at Greenwich Country Day School, one of America’s most prestigious private schools.

His father, Donovan Sr., was a former Minor League Baseball player and used to work in an executive post for the New York Mets when he was a kid.

So, he learned about baseball from a very young age.

However, he was interested in sports, mainly baseball and basketball. He was very energetic and sportive, so he always liked to go out to play with other kids in the locality.

But, his mother, Nicole, was a school teacher and wanted her son to focus more on his studies. She was skeptical about her son making his career in sports, so she had worked very hard to send her son to an elite school.

However, Donovan felt it hard to adapt to the new school environment where the students were primarily white and affluent.

As someone coming from a middle-class family, he often went hungry, not being able to afford mid-day meals.

On the other hand, his mother always cared for her children’s happiness and endured much. She never let them know about her difficulties in paying household expenses.

Being aware of his mother’s hardships, he began being serious from a carefree child to a conscious high schooler. He graduated high school from Brewster Academy in 2015.

Donovan Mitchell | Career

High School Career

After graduating from Greenwich Day School, he attended two different schools and played high school basketball with them for two years each. 

Mitchell initially studied at Canterbury School in Connecticut, where he played both baseball and basketball in his first and second years. However, he stopped playing baseball after injuring his wrist as a sophomore.

Moreover, he transferred to the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and played his last two high school basketball seasons for them.

He performed well from the start, and he grew pretty popular among his teammates and coaches alike.

During his two years there, Donovan led the Brewster to two prep school national championship victories and got chances to play in different places, including the Jordan Brand Classic All-Star game.

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College Career

In his senior high school year, Donovan had received scholarship offers from various universities, including Kansas, Georgetown, etc. However, he joined the University of Louisville for his college basketball.

His performance in the first season was very average. As a freshman, he averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

But, he had already made up his mind to join the NBA before finishing college. First, however, he had to drastically improve his performance if he were to make that dream come true.

As a sophomore, he averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Moreover, he earned a place in the First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference for his performance.

Eventually, he felt confident enough to go for the NBA draft and declared for it immediately after his sophomore season in 2017.

Professional Career

The Denver Nuggets chose Mitchell as the 2017 NBA draft’s first-round thirteenth pick. However, the Nuggets soon traded him to the Utah Jazz, after which he signed a rookie scale contract with them on July 5, 2017.

Donovan became that year’s Summer League’s highest scorer when he scored 37 points in a match against the Memphis Grizzlies.

He played 79 matches in his first NBA regular season and played better than in the Summer League matches. 

He continued his scoring streak in the second NBA season as well.

Mitchell led Utah Jazz to the playoff that season; like in his rookie season, he averaged 21.4 points playing five matches.

First All-Star Selection & Covid

His third season with the Jazz began with his top-class game against the Oklahoma City Thunders on October 23, 2019, where he had 32 points and 12 assists.

He was playing well, and consequently, the NBA selected him for his first All-Star game on January 30, 2020.

Furthermore, Donovan tested positive for Covid-19 in March 2020, due to which he missed many games. However, as many other athletes contacted the virus, the NBA suspended the league until a few months later.

He finished the season with an average of 24.0 points per game. Likewise, he extended his contract with the club for five years more.

Later seasons & Injuries

Mitchell’s fourth NBA season was the best in terms of his performance. He averaged a career-best 26.4 points per game.

However, it was also his worst because he got to play only around 53 matches in the entire season. He suffered an ankle injury in April, due to which he missed sixteen games.

However, he later played in the playoffs despite the injury.

The ongoing 2021-22 NBA season is on par with his performances in the previous seasons. However, he has had frequent injuries this season as well. 

In March 2022, he again suffered an ankle injury in a match they lost against Dallas Mavericks. However, he played the game full time but remains questionable for the upcoming matches.

Awards & Achievements

Some of his awards and achievements include:

Donovan Mitchell | Net Worth & Salary

One of the emerging NBA stars, Donovan Mitchell, has a net worth ranging from $10 to $20 million.

Donovan had signed a five-year contract worth $163 million in 2020 with the Utah Jazz. With that signing, his average salary has reached around $32 million.

However, his annual salary for the ongoing league is approximately $28 million.

As a professional basketball player, his primary source of earnings is the NBA league games. The Jazz had paid him approximately $2.6 million in his rookie season.

Over the years, the club has increased his salaries moderately, overviewing his performance. He is currently the second-best paid player in the Utah Jazz. He has already amassed around $14.5 million from his NBA career to date.

Besides, he makes a significant amount of money through brand endorsements. He had signed a long-term deal with Adidas shoes in 2017 when he began his career.

He has his signature D.O.N. series shoes with the brand. Adidas had released its first issue in 2019.

Moreover, he has signed a deal with a Utah-based oil brand, doTerra, and a sports drink company named BodyArmor.

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Charitable Works

The basketball player has not only improved his lifestyle by earning through his basketball career but has involved himself in various community betterment programs and charities.

He has founded a non-profit organization named Spidacare specifically to help those in need.

According to their official website, the sole aim of their organization is to build an equitable society. Since its inception, they have been actively involved in conducting youth and athletic programs, providing scholarships to financially weak children, etc.

Moreover, he was involved individually in other campaigns, such as providing free sneakers to children in various schools in the Bronx area of New York.

He had also donated around $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School for scholarship schemes and a proper new gym at school.

Donovan Mitchell | Personal Life

Donovan Mitchell is currently single and is not dating anyone. However, he was previously in a relationship with a model Deja Lighty.

Deja is a daughter of a popular music executive named Chris Lighty. She holds a degree in Sports Management from Temple University in Pennsylvania and has experience working as an Account Executive for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The exact date Deja and Donovan began their relationship is unknown, but they were already together before he started his NBA journey. 

However, they broke up in the fall of 2021, but the reason for their separation remains undisclosed.

Age, Weight & Height

As of 2023, the Jazz shooting guard is 27 years of age.

About his physical stats, he stands 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch) tall and weighs around 215 lb (98 kg).

Social Media

Instagram: @spidadmitchell

Twitter: @spidadmitchell

Facebook: Donovan Mitchell (No posts since August 2020)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Donovan Mitchell in Spiderman?

No, Donovan Mitchell does not have a role in Spiderman. However, he appeared together with Tom Holland in a short promo of ”Spiderman: Far From Home” before its release in 2019.

Moreover, he tweeted a couple of times appreciating the recent Spiderman movie released in 2021.

What is Donovan Mitchell’s wingspan?

Donovan Mitchell has a wingspan of about 6 feet 10 inches.

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