Newly acquired Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was present during an infamous night in team history.
Mitchell was a 13-year-old student at Greenwich Country Day School in Connecticut when he heard LeBron James, who he was a ” big fan” of, was filming a live ESPN show called “The Decision” at the nearby Greenwich Boys and Girls Club − the show to announce where he was going to sign as a free agent.
BLOCKBUSTER:Cleveland Cavaliers announce trade for NBA All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell
“I forced my mom to let me go,” Mitchell told Yahoo Sports in 2018. “I wanted him to go to (play for the) Miami (Heat). I wanted him to get his first ring.”
So although Mitchell was pleased that James decided to go play for the Miami Heat that night, nearby New York Knicks fans, who hoped James would choose to play in the Big Apple, were upset to see Mitchell show joy after “The Decision.”
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“The people there who were Knicks fans … they weren’t too happy about it,” he said. “I almost got hit in the head with a Snapple bottle because they were just throwing stuff around outside. It was cool. I was just celebrating, so it was pretty cool.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded three players, three first-round draft picks and two additional draft pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is now a Cavalier after being traded for guards Collin Sexton and 2022 draft lottery pick Ochai Agbaji, forward Lauri Markkanen, three unprotected first-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps.
Mitchell averaged 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists last season for the Jazz. He has averaged 20 or more points in his first five seasons in the NBA.
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The trade should make the Cavs (44-38) a contender for the Eastern Conference title after they were eliminated with losses to the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament last season. Their 22-game improvement was the second-largest in franchise history.
Akron Beacon Journal reporter Marla Ridenour contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell saw ‘The Decision’
