What piqued your interest in wine? Donovan Mitchell: I was always curious. Obviously, my teammates in Utah. You had Ricky Rubio, Joe [Ingles], Rudy [Gobert], those three, just hearing them talk about it. And obviously, my relationship with [former Utah Jazz assistant coach] Johnnie Bryant, he talked about wine nonstop. So, hearing it at a younger age in the league, you don’t really think too much of it. You hear about it. You have some concept of what it is and what it does. But at that point it’s not really in my palate. And then as I got older, I started to grow a liking for it, kind of starting to drink some red wine, some pinots, some cabs … understanding when to drink a white, when to drink a red. And I’m at a point now where I’ve always wanted to go to Napa. -via Andscape / September 27, 2024

Donovan Mitchell: And so, for us, I believe we’re cherished contenders when healthy. But at the end of the day, I can tell you this, we got to go out there and continue to prove it on a daily basis. We haven’t done anything. We just one more game than we did two years ago me. So now it’s how do we find ways to continue to win and build and build and move forward. And we haven’t accomplished what we needed to accomplish. We’ve done a lot, but we have more to go. -via Andscape / September 27, 2024

You told everyone you were re-signing with the Cavaliers and you felt that folks didn’t believe you. But during the offseason, you signed a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season. What did signing this extension mean to you? Donovan Mitchell: Until the pen hits the paper, obviously words don’t mean anything. But for me, man, once I got traded here, I didn’t even know what was here until I got here. Obviously, I knew who would be here on the team, but just the city of Cleveland, it’s really had a hold on me. I just really love the people. I love the passion, the fandom, the organization obviously, and obviously my teammates. And for me, we’ve continued to find success and continue to build and build and as I’ve always said, ‘You don’t just get ready and then just make the Finals or win a chip. It takes time. You got to continue to build and continue to grow.’ And that for me was my biggest thing is how do we find ways to continue to do that. And having an organization that believes in that, that isn’t just cool with just being status quo and just being OK and being good … And after losing to Boston last [season], yeah, we were injured and we had all these different ways we could look at excuses. The energy wasn’t that in the locker room. It was more like we’re coming back doing it again. And for me, it meant a lot just because that’s what I believe in myself. So being able to be with my guys and be on this team again and to the foreseeable future, I’m excited. We got a lot to prove and I got a lot to continue to go. -via Andscape / September 27, 2024