Donovan Mitchell grew up where the crack of bats and the smell of pine tar felt like home, running through Major League Baseball locker rooms before basketball even stole his heart. At seven, he idolized Scott Kazmir, then plastered David Wright’s face on his wall, dreaming like every wide-eyed kid. Canterbury in Connecticut gave him a stage for both basketball and baseball until a brutal infield collision shattered his wrist and a catcher’s jaw. Yet like Michael Jordan chasing baseball, Mitchell shaped his journey to defy the ordinary and embrace the twist.

Recently, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ shooting guard joined the New York Nets shortstop, Francisco Lindor, on the Cafe Con Lindor podcast. The close friends discussed not just about life, but also Mitchell’s love for baseball. Now, just so you know, the Spida isn’t just competitive on the NBA’s floor. Lindor’s playground was and continues to be another place that sees his fire. Thus, the 31-year-old pointed out a quote Donovan once said: “I am humble about everything but baseball… besides baseball.”

In his defence, Mitchell is a humble being! “But I’m telling you, I was nice at baseball,” the ‘humble’ guy added. So, if he was that good at baseball, why didn’t he pursue it? “When you get to a point when you’re just that good, sometimes just like Michael Jordan, he was like, I just wanted to hoop. So, I was like, I’m just gonna go hoop. And then I got fortunate enough to go this route,” Donovan Mitchell confessed.

“But I firmly believe I don’t know if I would have been here or if I were at your level. I don’t know. And I don’t want to discredit anybody who wants to get this position,” the 28-year-old also added. “It’s a long journey for some people to be right where you are. So, I’m not going to take that away. However, I will say I do believe if I had stuck with baseball, I would have been in the majors at some point. I don’t know.” 

Michael Jordan was playing football, basketball, and baseball when he attended Emsley A. Laney High School back in 1968. The NBA legend paused his basketball career to pursue baseball in the Minor League in 1994. But of course, he came back to win three more rings with the Chicago Bulls. So, simply put, he could’ve chosen baseball instead of basketball in the first place. But he didn’t, and it looks like Mitchell followed the same mantra. “Iowa wanted me to play both. Iowa wanted me to. I don’t know how real it was, but they said I could play both,” Mitchell also shared.

So, the University of Iowa wanted the Cavaliers’ superstar to play both sports for them. But as we know, he attended Louisville until he became the 13th overall pick in 2017 for the Denver Nuggets. However, Donovan Mitchell is not denying facts and beliefs that he might follow MJ in the future. Once again, His Airness is the ultimate inspiration to yet another hooper of the new generation. Does it surprise you? Hope not!

Donovan Mitchell’s future plans are very Michael Jordan-esque

Francisco Lindor playfully draws a mirror between Donovan Mitchell and Michael Jordan, both athletes brilliant enough to flirt with two sports. He teases Mitchell’s baseball roots, linking them to Jordan’s leap from basketball to baseball, before tying it all back to the number 45. “Just to honor my baseball roots, it kind of has some part of me to go back to that. Now I will say, at some point, I will try to be you when I’m done playing,” Mitchell added.

Now, Mitchell chose number 45 as a tribute to Michael Jordan’s baseball chapter and his brief NBA comeback, a bold nod to roots beyond the hardwood. At Louisville, he wore it while transforming from a freshman with flashes to a sophomore star, doubling his averages and storming into the draft spotlight. The number carried meaning, swagger, and destiny stitched into its fabric. Moreover, his vision is clear. After retiring from the NBA, the 28-year-old wants to be like Lindor. Simply put, he wants to go back to playing baseball.

Greatness always leaves breadcrumbs, and Donovan Mitchell has been following them with a grin. He is still finding time to laugh at Josh Hart over a baseball rivalry. So, from pine tar dreams to Louisville’s hardwood to Cleveland’s spotlight, his story already reads like a legend in motion. Yet he still dares to imagine a second act. Number 45 ties him to Jordan, Lindor fuels his fire, and baseball still waits for its Spida swing.