What is Donovan Mitchell’s ethnicity? Explore the Cavs Star’s Panamanian ancestry, family roots and more

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ biggest star since LeBron James is Donovan Mitchell. He lives up to his star status. They recently beat the 22-season veteran at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where a banner hangs from the rafters because of LeBron. Yes, I’m talking about 2016 when the Cavs won. Mitchell humbly acknowledges the impact James had on the Cavs and the city of Cleveland.

Spida Mitchell is focused on making his own mark in Cleveland. He understands that early regular-season wins don’t decide a championship. With that mindset, the hooper and the Cavs can only focus on cultivating habits worthy of being a title contender. So far they have been on the right track. But as Mitchell is well aware, Cleveland’s journey is just beginning again.

The 6-foot-3 guard was born on September 7, 1996 to Donovan Sr. and Nicole Wright in Elmsford, New York. His mother, who is a teacher, is of Panamanian descent, while Spida’s father was a Minor League Baseball player. Guess athlete genes run in their family! So even though Jr has Panamanian roots, he is American. Dubbed as ‘Spida’ because of his steals, let’s take a look at his family roots.

Donovan Mitchell’s Panamanian roots and family sports history

In April 2023, the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated Noche Latina at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during their game against the New York Knicks, a night dedicated to honoring Latin culture!

Spida proudly represented his roots. “It is fantastic to be part of an evening where you are honored” Mitchell said. He shared the importance of his grandmother, the first generation of American-Panamanian in his family. “I’m not here without her. For her to take that risk, knowing no English, to come over here and lay the foundation,” remarked Mitchell.

He also noted that the Panamanian chain he often wears serves as a tribute to his grandmother. Additionally, Spanish play-by-play announcer Rafael Hernández-Brito had the distinct privilege of announcing the starting lineup in Spanish.

Donovan Mitchell Sr., Mitchell’s father, played minor league baseball during the 1990s after being drafted by the Houston Astros in the 14th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft. He spent several seasons with the Astros before joining the New York Mets in 1999 as a minor league manager and coach. Over the years, he advanced within the Mets organization and later served as director of player relations, according to his LinkedIn. He now holds the position of senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion and player relations.

While an injury in Donovan Mitchell Jr.’s sophomore year of high school caused him to switch his focus from baseball to basketball, he remains a passionate Mets fan to this day. Growing up, Spida shared a strong bond with his mother, Nicole Wright. Wright had grown up in New York with her two siblings as the daughter of Panamanian immigrants. She forged a career in education and took an unusual path to get there. She worked as an accounts payable clerk in the New York public school system after holding various positions in banking when she shared Salt Lake Tribune.

Throughout Donovan Mitchell’s childhood, his mother made numerous sacrifices along with his younger sister.

In one more piece Players’ Tribunesaid the jumper, “(My mom) used to drive me around New York City and New Jersey on the weekends to play in AAU tournaments. My mom probably put 500,000 miles on that old Toyota Camry! The crazy part is she couldn’t have cared less about basketball.“Now, if that’s not unconditional love, what is?