When Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James famously announced that he was joining the Miami Heat, a young Cleveland Cavs All-Star Donovan Mitchell stood outside a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Nearly 15 years removed from James leaving the franchise that drafted him, Mitchell and the Cavs won 60+ games in a historic campaign. Donovan revealed LeBron’s decision was what he had wanted all along.
Mitchell was excited about James joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, per Esquire’s Josh Rosenberg.
“I was probably the only person at the time that wanted him to go to the Heat,” Mitchell recalls with a chuckle. The prospect of James teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami? Well, it was a little more exciting to Mitchell than James joining a New York squad that had spent most of the prior season losing games. Still, it’s a tough opinion to say out loud when you’re surrounded by Knicks fans. Mitchell did so anyway.
“I almost got hit with a Snapple bottle,” Mitchell remembers, “One of those glass ones.”
LeBron James led the Heat to back-to-back titles in 2013 before returning to the Cavs in 2014 and guiding Cleveland to its first NBA Finals championship in 2016.
Kenny Atkinson’s Donovan Mitchell update before Cavs playoffs
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In his third try, Cavs All-Star Donovan Mitchell is trying to guide the team to its second title in nine years. Before their regular-season finale, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson provided an injury update on Mitchell. Donovan missed the last week of the regular season due to an ankle injury.
Atkinson says Mitchell was 100 percent during a recent practice, per the Associated Press.
“I think he’ll be full on with practice. We’re going to have to scrimmage at some point, probably intersquad with refs, so he’ll participate in that,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The most important thing is how we build him up with the ankle rehab and then conditioning.”
In preparation for a deep playoff run, Mitchell taking the week off to rest up is best for the top-ranked Cavs. While the MVP candidate is surrounded by a talented cast, including All-Stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavs’ well-rounded group also consists of valuable two-way players such as Jarrett Allen, De’Andre Hunter, and Ty Jerome.
With the second-best record in 2024-25, the Cavs (64-18) have the best chances to knock off the champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
