The Cleveland Cavaliers' biggest star since LeBron James is Donovan Mitchell. He lives up to his star status. They recently beat the 22-season veteran at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where a banner hangs from the rafters because of LeBron. Yes, I'm talking about 2016 when the Cavs won. Mitchell humbly recognizes the impact James has had on the Cavs and the city of Cleveland.

Spida Mitchell is focused on making a name for himself in Cleveland. He understands that early wins in the regular season don't determine the championship. With that mindset, Hooper and the Cavs can just focus on developing habits worthy of being a title contender. So far they have been on the right track. However, Mitchell is aware that Cleveland's journey is just beginning anew.

The 1.90 meter tall guard was born on September 7, 1996 to Donovan Sr. and Nicole Wright in Elmsford, New York. His mother, a teacher, is of Panamanian descent, while Spida's father was a minor league baseball player. I guess the athlete genes run in her family! Although Jr. has Panamanian roots, he is American. Let's take a look at his family roots, as he was christened “Spida” because of his thefts.

Donovan Mitchell's Panamanian roots and family sports history

In April 2023, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated Noche Latina at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during their game against the New York Knicks, an evening dedicated to honoring Latin American culture!

Spida proudly represented its roots. “It's great to be part of an evening where you are honoredsaid Mitchell. He shared the importance of his grandmother, the first generation American and Panamanian in his family. “Without her, I’m not here. So that she takes the risk, doesn't know English, comes here and lays the foundation,“Mitchell noted.

He also noted that the Panamanian necklace he often wears serves as a tribute to his grandma. Additionally, Spanish play-by-play announcer Rafael Hernández-Brito had the special privilege of announcing the starting lineup in Spanish.

Donovan Mitchell Sr., Mitchell's father, played minor league baseball in the 1990s after being drafted in the 14th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft by the Houston Astros. He spent several seasons with the Astros before joining the New York Mets as a minor league manager and coach in 1999. Over the years, he evolved within the Mets organization and later served as director of player relations, according to LinkedIn. Today he is senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion and player relations.

While an injury during Donovan Mitchell Jr.'s sophomore year of high school caused him to shift his focus from baseball to basketball, he remains a passionate Mets fan to this day. Growing up, Spida had a strong bond with his mother, Nicole Wright. Wright grew up in New York with her two siblings as the daughter of Panamanian immigrants. She pursued a career in education and chose an unusual path. She worked as an accounts payable clerk in the New York City public school system after holding various positions in banking, she said Salt Lake Tribune.

During Donovan Mitchell's childhood, his mother and younger sister made numerous sacrifices.

In one piece for them Players' standsaid the hooper, “(My mother) drove me all over New York City and New Jersey on the weekends to play in AAU tournaments. My mom probably put about 500,000 miles on that old Toyota Camry! The crazy thing is that she didn't care about basketball.“Well, if that’s not unconditional love, what is?