The Cleveland Cavaliers are alive this season, all thanks to Donovan Mitchell who has reignited the franchise. He is on a mission with the Cavaliers and scored a career-best 71 points against the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell has exploded onto the scene since joining the Cavaliers this season. Today we will look at Donovan Mitchell’s nickname “Spida.”
Utah Jazz drafted Mitchell as the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He joined the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and has completely turned the team around with his performance. Mitchell is averaging 28.3 points per game accompanied by 4.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Donovan Mitchel played for the Louisville Cardinals during college. He got selected as the first-team all-conference in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2017. The Nickname “Spida,” tagged along with him since then. He got the nickname from a friend and former teammate’s father after watching his game.
How did Donovan Mitchell get the nickname ‘Spida’?
Donovan Mitchel got the nickname ‘Spida’ during his college years. His game was loved by his friend’s father who labeled him ‘Spida’ because of his ability to make steals. Mitchell has long arms which makes it fairly easy for him to make such steals from impossible positions.
During his first year, he averaged just 7.4 points per game in his first 5 games for the Cardinals. However, that number doubled to 15.6 points per game the next season. Mitchell during his first season with the Jazz played 79 games for them and averaged 20.5 points per game. He even took part in the Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA All-Star weekend in 2018.
Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) tells us how he got the nickname “Spida” growing up playing ball! #ADayWithDonovan pic.twitter.com/8Inb2L3dY6
— NBA (@NBA) September 13, 2017
“I had long arms, and I was quick to getting a lot of steals. I didn’t think it would correlate to where I am now. He never called me by my first name, and to this day, he still doesn’t. He’ll text me, ‘Spida, how ya doing?’ Spiderman was one of my favorites growing up, and it just stuck with me. That’s where it all came from.” Said Mitchell in an interview with NBA.
Donovan Mitchell is performing at the top level alongside Darius Garland who is at the heart of the team. Both of them are averaging more than 20 points this season and will be crucial for them postseason. This time around they have a solid chance of going deep in the playoffs. The Cavs are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference and have a solid home record of 20-5 this season.
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