Thriving in Baseball With His Father as Mentor, Donovan Mitchell Explains His Decision to Switch to Basketball

Donovan Mitchell Jr. is a prolific 27-year-old guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is a 4x All-Star showing that he is having a great career so far in the NBA. However, he was originally a baseball player throughout his schooling until his junior high. Mitchell Jr.’s father was a baseball coach for the Mets and Mitchell always thought that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, due to an injury in a baseball game, he realized that he wanted to follow a different path.

Recently the 4x All-Star appeared on the Tidal League podcast which is hosted by Theo Pinson. There he spoke about his baseball and basketball journey and why he decided to switch sports.

Mitchel Jr. of the 216 talks about his sporting journey

Mitchell’s father Donovon Mitchell Sr. was a minor league player who became a Mets executive. So growing up Mitchell used to play basketball but always tagged around with his father for games and developed an interest in baseball due to which he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, when he got enrolled in a boarding school at Connecticut, his sports journey took an unexpected turn. His mother advised him to focus on basketball and school because of which he gave up his baseball dreams. But then he got an opportunity when the baseball coaches pleaded with him for his services. That’s when he thought he should give it a shot.

However, during the match, ‘Spida’ collided with a fellow player and broke his wrist. Due to that, he had to sit out the entire baseball season and also missed the critical AAU summer basketball circuit. This unexpected setback proved to be a turning point in his life, affecting his view on life.

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Over the next years, he transformed himself, became a class president, and secured a spot at Louisville as a top-30 recruit. He worked on himself and showed a commitment to growth.

He even spoke about it on the Tidal League podcast and said “All of this(money, fame) I thought would come from baseball. But then once junior year hit, s**t just changed within 3 years and the next thing you know, I’m in Utah and going for rookie of the year, winning the playoff series, and then here we are.”

How has Mitchell Jr.’s season been so far

Donovan Mitchell, the explosive 27-year-old guard is the driving force for the Cavs leading the team in scoring and displaying his attacking diversity. However recently, he has been facing difficulties shooting from a deep range highlighting the change in his momentum in the middle of a season. Despite dealing with a hamstring injury, he is currently averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.

As Mitchell Jr. finds his rhythm, he will be able to show his true potential and be able to overcome all the challenges thrown at his team. Fans may expect more surprises in Mitchell’s 2023 season because he continues to make an impact in the NBA.

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