A 6-foot-3 guard, Donovan Mitchell took the NBA by storm during his rookie season. Mitchell led all rookies in scoring at 20.5 points per game, and he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December, January, February and March/April. Mitchell scored at least 25 points 27 times, and dropped 41 points in a home win over the Pelicans on December 1. The Denver Nuggets selected Mitchell with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft—and then immediately traded him to the Jazz. He won the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. In 2020, Mitchell was named an NBA All-Star. Mitchell's jersey number is 45, which he wears in honor of Michael Jordan, who wore the number while playing baseball and when he first returned to the NBA in 1995. Mitchell goes by the nickname "Spida," which has become an official entry on dictionary.com.

Mitchell was born on September 7, 1996 in Elmsford, New York. His mother, Nicole, is a school teacher, and his father, Donovan Sr., works as director of player relations for the New York Mets. Mitchell played baseball and basketball growing up, but chose to pursue basketball at Louisville, where he was named First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as a sophomore.