If there is any doubt that Donovan Mitchell belongs in the same level of elite stars as Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, he’s staked his claim to greatness during the NBA playoffs.
Great players rise to the greatest occasions, and what Mitchell did for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Games 6 and 7 of the first round series against the Orlando Magic was legendary.
Mitchell scored 89 points in those two games. The record most points combined ever for a Game 6 and 7 is 90, set by Allen Iverson.
His performances in the two games, both the 50-point effort in Game 6 and leading the Game 7 comeback from the Cavs being 18 points down yet coming away with the win, pushed the Cavs into round 2. Mitchell again put up a stellar performance with 33 points against the Celtics. The larger stage of the postseason has pushed Mitchell back into the minds of collectors.
His performance has erased the memories of a playoff disappointment last year. Mitchell led the Cavs to the playoffs in his first year with the club after the trade for three players and three first round draft picks. On Jan. 2, 2023, he poured in a Cav-record 71 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls. It was the seventh time in NBA history the 70-point plateau had been broken. It was also the highest-scoring game in the NBA since Kobe Bryant scored 81 in a game in 2006. Late in the season, he became the first Cavalier to score 40 or more points in four straight games.
When the Cavs lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, Mitchell owned it despite putting up big numbers. He became the first player to score 30 or more points in 20 of his first 40 playoff games since Iverson.
In this year’s playoffs, Mitchell put the Cavs on his back. The Cavs trailed the Magic by 18 in the second quarter. In the third, Mitchell outscored the entire Magic team 17-15. The Cavs won the game and earned their first series win without LeBron James in the line-up since 1993 in the says of Brad Daughtery, Mark Price, Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams.
“I’m tired of losing in the first round,” Mitchell said in a post-game media scrum. “You work too hard. We work too hard. That was my mindset.”
Two-Sport Star?
In basketball, he became the legendary Spida Mitchell, winner of the NBA Slam Dunk contest as a rookie. His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., was a Minor League baseball player who went on to be director of player relations for the New York Mets. Young Donovan was a big David Wright fan and had a promising career until suffering a broken wrist in a high school game.
From that point on, he focused on basketball, transferred to basketball prep powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and won two national championships. From there, he went to Louisville and declared for the draft after his sophomore season.
Mitchell chose to wear the number 45 as a tribute to Michael Jordan, as that was the number Jordan wore in baseball growing up and with the Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates when he briefly switched sports in the 1990s.
Jazzy Rookie
Playing for the Utah Jazz, Mitchell set a number of NBA and club rookie records. He became the first rookie in Jazz history to score 40 or more points in a game, and he broke Karl Malone’s club record with 19 20-plus point games. He set an NBA record for rookies with 186 three pointers.
In the playoffs, he scored 171 points and averaged 28.5 in a six-game series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain scored more points in their first six NBA playoff games.
Mitchell Rookie Cards
While interest may have faded in Mitchell’s rookie cards because he played on a small market team and has been overshadowed by the likes of LeBron, Luka, Jokic and Wemby, over 900 Mitchell cards have sold on eBay in the last week for more than $33,000.
Here’s a starter set of Mitchell cards for those looking to add him to your basketball collection.
2017-18 Hoops RC #263
This card is essential for a Mitchell collector for two reasons. It is his first card with a photo of him in an NBA uniform, and it is also part of an iconic brand that is a can of corn for set collectors to put together.
The serial numbered parallels offer collectors looking for something less pedestrian some good options. Parallels include Blue, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Premium Box Set (/199), Silver (/199), Teal (/125), Green (/99), Blue Checkerboard (/75), Orange Explosion (/75), Red (/49), Artist Proof (/25), Orange (/25), Red Checkerboard (/15), Gold (/10), and Artist Proof Black (1/1).
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Hoops cards on eBay
2017-18 Donruss RC #188
If you are going to start a Spida Mitchell collection, this is where you start. The card is part of the Rated Rookies subset that became a popular staple of Donruss baseball card sets of the 1980s. This card gives the collector a number of options. It is very affordable on its own, but you can also go after a number of parallel versions. The myriad of parallels include Green Flood, Holo Laser Green and Yellow, Holo Laser Orange, Press Proof Silver (/299), Press Proof Purple (/199), Holo Laser Green (/99), Holo Laser Red (/99), Press Proof Red (/75), Holo Laser Blue (/49), Holo Laser Yellow (/25), Press Proof Blue (/25), Holo Laser Purple (/15), Holo Laser Red and Blue (/15), Press Proof Gold (/10), and Press Proof Black (1/1).
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Donruss on eBay
There is also a Donruss Optic RC #188 version of this card which has a chromium finish and feel. It is a higher end card, but again, it can be had for an affordable price and also includes a large menu of parallels that combine colors and background patterns. The parallels are Blue Velocity, Checkerboard, Fast Break Holo, Holo, Purple, White Sparkle, Premium (/249), Orange (/199), Fast Break Orange (/193), Lime Green (/175), Fast Break Purple (/155), Red (/99), Fast Break Red (/85), Pink Velocity (/79), Fast Break Blue (/50), Blue (/49), Black Velocity (/39), Aqua (/25), Pink (25), Fast Break Pink (/20), Purple Stars (/13), Fast Break Gold (/10), Gold (/10), Green (/5), Black (1/1), Fast Break Black (1/1), and Gold Vinyl (1/1).
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Donruss Optic on ebay
2017-18 Donruss Rookie Jerseys #RJ-DM3
Again, we go back to Donruss as this jersey card not only has a swatch of rookie jersey, but it has a great design and photo. It is also loaded with parallels and variations at different grades to suit just about any budget.
2017-18 Donruss Rookie Jerseys on eBay
2017-18 Crown Royal RC #167
When Playoff bought Pacific’s brands in 2005, Crown Royal is one that they have stayed true to for its look, feel and design. It is a striking, die-cut design that Mike Cramer came up with 30 years ago. The cards are not serial numbered, but this card as not overproduced. It is a little bit harder to find on the market because the number of parallels is a little bit more conservative. One thing that Mitchell collectors love about this card is the use of the orange Jazz alternate jersey, which really makes the image pop.
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Crown Royale on eBay
2017-18 Panini Cornerstones Auto Quad Jersey #163 Auto/199
This one would probably fall into the ‘underrated’ category. A relatively low serial numbered rookie card with an on-card autograph and four jersey swatches, which frame the card beautifully while adding a memorabilia element that separates it from the others. In packs, the Mitchell card was a redemption, which always makes collectors nervous. Mitchell did come through with the signatures and the redemptions were fulfilled.
The card is numbered to 199, and there are five parallels: Crystal (/75), Quartz (/49), Granite (/25), Marble (/10) and Onyx (1/1).
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Panini Cornerstones Auto Quad Jerseys on eBay
2017-18 Vanguard RC Auto #129
When Vanguard was a popular Pacific brand, it was known for its unique use of foil and technology. Panini has kept the high-end look with premium card stock and foil and a clean look. The result is perhaps the most attractive on-card signature available on a Mitchell rookie card.
There are colored parallels here, too.
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Vanguard autographs on eBay
2017-18 Panini Flawless RC #84
This one is for the hardcore Mitchell fan looking for an investible as much as a collectible. The rookie cards in Flawless are serial numbered to 20. Panini uses a lot of Pinnacle and Pacific branding, product development and design attributes as they purchased these brands two decades or more ago. This set takes one from the Action Packed playbook, as they acquired the Action Packed brand along with the other Pinnacle brands they bought when they were Playoff.
The card has a diamond stud as a design element in the card. Action Packed used the diamond on its rare insert cards as a guarantee for value and collectability. The parallels are Double (/10), Triple (/5), Bronze (/2), and Platinum (1/1). If you can’t afford a Flawless auto, this is an underrated option–if you can find one.
2017-18 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Auto #113 /99
If you’re going all in on high-end the National Treasures RPAs are hard to beat, with an on-card auto and serial-numbering to 99. The card is not cheap, but because most of the owners of this card are investors, they do pop up on the market. With Mitchell’s surge in popularity in the playoffs, some of the investors might be looking to cash out on this card. So if you are in that league of collector/investor, maybe you will have a shot at this card or one of its parallels. The parallels are Rookie Patch Autographs Horizontal (/49),Rookie Patch Autographs Horizontal Bronze (/25), FOTL Limited Edition (/15), Gold (/10), Emerald (/5), and Logoman (1/1).
2017-18 Donovan Mitchell Panini National Treasures RPA
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