Mitchell’s Character Shines With Simple, Sweet Tweet To His Mom
Oct 8, 2019, 12:49 PM | Updated: 12:58 pm
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz looks on during a game against the Adelaide 36ers at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 5, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz forward Donovan Mitchell has over a 3 million social media followers. With a digital footprint that big and a guy as socially conscious as the Jazzman is, what does he want you to know? He loves his mom.
Seemingly out of the blue Sunday night, “Spida” extended a sweet message of appreciation to his mother, Nicole Mitchell.
“Gotta say,” he tweeted. “I love my mom.”
Gotta say I love my mom ❤️
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) October 7, 2019
The tweet garnered significant social media attention, amassing over 2,600 retweets and 12,000 “likes” as of Tuesday afternoon. Many Jazz fans replied with tweets about their own mothers, or interactions they’ve had with Mitchell’s mom since arriving in Utah.
Twitter user Chantel Loutensock replied to Mitchell, letting him know she met his mom, and thought she was “the sweetest.”
She is the sweetest. I met her at your camp last year and boy does she rock.
— Chantel Jazz Addict Loutensock (@Tillylace4) October 7, 2019
KSL Sports had to know, what was the backstory behind the tweet? It turns out his reasoning was probably more familiar to the typical young Jazz fan than most would expect from the third-year star. Mitchell sent the tweet to thank his mom for cleaning his Salt Lake-area house.
Mitchell loves his family
The relationship between Mitchell and his mom has been one of the many reasons the Louisville product has endeared himself to Jazz fans. Nicole makes regular appearances on Mitchell’s Instagram page, including her well-documented travels with Donovan over the summer for the launch of his signature shoe, the D.O.N. Issue #1 with Adidas.
Mitchell and his mom also partnered for an article in the Players’ Tribune in June detailing their journey together to realize Donovan’s NBA dream, including the sacrifices Nicole made to get him to the league.
As Nicole mentioned in the article, she hasn’t always been able to clean up after Donovan’s messes. An exuberant young athlete, Donovan imagined an archway in his childhood home was a basketball hoop.
“I used to hear him slapping the arch all day,” Nicole Mitchell recounted. “When I’d be cleaning the house, I was too short to reach up there with the rag. So when we moved out, the handprints were still up there.”
After getting drafted by the Jazz, one of Nicole’s first appearances on Donovan’s social media accounts came when being surprised by her son with a white Audi SUV wrapped in a pink bow.
His mom isn’t the only member of Mitchell’s family to take a starring role on his social media pages. Donovan’s sister, Jordan, makes regular appearances on Instagram, but isn’t relegated to an online presence.
Jordan gained fame during the 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest when Donovan pulled her, along with comedian Kevin Hart onto the floor to pose as props to dunk over during Mitchell’s contest winning performance.
It may not be an Audi, but Donovan made a special deviation from his usual pregame routine of giving his warmup shoes to a fan when he gifted a pair of autographed shoes to Jordan before a game in Memphis.
The size-17 shoes might be a touch big, but maybe with a little additional help around the house, Jordan will find herself behind the wheel of a luxury SUV courtesy of her brother Donovan.
