Less heralded than fellow guards De’Aaron Fox, Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr coming into the 2017 NBA draft, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell has outshined them all. Mitchell’s Jazz sit in the sixth spot of the western conference with a 40-30 record, in no small part thanks to the rookie’s high volume production. A mere 21 years old, the future is endlessly bright for Mitchell. How did he get to this point, and how much is he earning in the NBA?
Donovan Mitchell Net Worth: $2,621,280
As of 2018, Mitchell is worth just over $2.6 million thanks to his rookie contract with the Utah Jazz. Let’s take a look at his career so far!
Early Life
Mitchell was born north of New York City in the town of Elmsford, NY. Donovan was around professional sports from a young age as his father, Donovan Sr is a high up public relations official with the New York Mets. Naturally, Donovan took an interest in baseball, playing it up until his junior year of high school, when he decided to make the full commitment to Basketball. He left the greater New York City area for those last two years, hooping up at Brewster Academy in the rural, Northeast New Hampshire town of Wolfeboro.
College Career
While at Brewster Academy, Mitchell earned plaudits from his coaches and media. He was oft praised for his hard-working competitiveness, as well as his offensive and defensive skills. By his senior year, he was a four-star recruit, ranked 31st in the country among high school seniors. He garnered a staggering amount of offers, 18 in fact, including from blueblood schools like Kansas, Villanova, Indiana, and Georgetown, before signing with the controversial legend Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals.
Mitchell’s freshman year was rocky on multiple fronts, as his Louisville team was marred by scandal thanks to a recruiting/sex scandal perpetrated by, of course, Pitino, involving the use of female escorts to entice incoming and prospective players. Hoping to avoid further punishment, Pitino announced that Louisville would self-impose a one-year postseason ban. All the while, Mitchell struggled on the floor, one-dimensionally and inefficiently scoring a meager 7.4 points a game on 44 percent shooting.
Mitchell showed tremendous improvement during his sophomore season. With the scandal and post-season ban behind the team, Mitchell led Louisville in scoring and displayed the all-around offensive/defensive talent that had impressed so many in high school. Despite a disappointing exit after high expectations to Michigan in the second round of the 2017 NCAA tournament, Mitchell declared for the NBA draft, viewed by pundits as a late lottery pick.
NBA Draft
Despite his ceremonious improvement in year two at Louisville, Mitchell was lost a bit in the mix behind sexier guard prospects like Lonzo Ball. Even so, lottery teams such as the Knicks and Mavericks expressed their interest in Donovan. Ultimately, he was selected with the thirteenth pick by the Denver Nuggets, who not long after traded him to the Utah Jazz. The East Coast kid from the suburbs of New York City was headed west.
Rookie Season
From the get-go, Donovan has surpassed expectations in the NBA, distinguishing himself as thus far the best player of the 2017 draft. He is presently averaging 19.9 points a game with 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals while playing 33 minutes a night. It should be expected that Mitchell’s net worth will explode and expand as he continues to grow into a true NBA superstar.