**Donovan Mitchell Balances Basketball Leadership with Baseball Passion Amid Challenging Season**
*BOSTON* — As Donovan Mitchell and I chatted in the visitors’ locker room at TD Garden on Wednesday night, Game 5 of the World Series was playing on one of his phones sitting on the bench beside him.
As the Cavaliers’ unquestioned leader—both on the court and emotionally—Mitchell’s main task is to get the club back on track after an extraordinary 2024-25 regular season unraveled due to injuries and a pesky Indiana team on a roll. Yet, despite the basketball focus, he still finds time for baseball. It’s in his blood.
Mitchell’s father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., was a minor league player, coach, and manager who has worked in the Mets’ organization since 1999. Currently, he serves as the Mets’ director of player relations. His affinity for the Flushing Meadows Nine made this summer particularly tough. After the Cavaliers dissolved, the Mets experienced a fairly epic collapse—spending much of the summer in first place in the NL East before plummeting 13 games behind Philadelphia and missing the playoffs.
However, Mitchell’s disappointment was tempered by the fact that the Yankees also got eliminated.
> “One thousand percent,” he said. “As long as they’re out, too, I’m not really upset. The Phillies out, too? It’s a great thing.”
Glancing down at his phone, Mitchell added, “Toronto’s handling business, so at least there’s happiness somewhere.”
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### Donovan Mitchell Hates the Yankees, but He Doesn’t Have Any Love for Boston Either
Though the Cavaliers had just suffered a 125-105 loss to the Celtics moments earlier, which hardly put him in a positive Bostonian mood, the mutual sporting hatred of the Yankees might have been a source of camaraderie.
But before anyone could start a “One of us!” chant—someone did quietly—Mitchell blocked the shot.
> “Oh, I don’t like the Red Sox either,” he said. “I’m from New York. I can’t like Boston. The kid in me will always have that. But on the Yankees? We definitely have that in common.”
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### ‘This Isn’t Last Year. This Is a Whole New Season’
In basketball, Mitchell and Boston share some history, especially during last season when the Cavs and Celtics fiercely contested for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics finished three games behind Cleveland but 10 games ahead of the third-seeded New York Knicks.
Despite Wednesday’s loss, the competitive dynamic has shifted this year. The Celtics are in a bit of a “gap year” as Jayson Tatum recovers from an Achilles injury and key players were traded to escape the NBA’s salary cap apron. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers—winners in three of their first five games—are focused on regrouping physically and mentally with an eye toward the long term.
Last season, Cleveland kicked off with an incredible 15-game winning streak and later enjoyed runs of 12 and 16 straight wins. For Mitchell, it’s important the team doesn’t try to force a repeat of that kind of magic, especially after being eliminated at home in Game 5 against the Pacers.
> “I personally don’t think like that, and I’ve told the guys, ‘This isn’t last year. This is a whole new season,’” said the six-time All-Star. “Teams are different. We’re different. Injuries happen. Like, this is not last year.
> “In a sense, I’m happy we lost our first game (opening night in New York) and got that out of the way. Last year 15-0 was a whole thing. Like, that’s not reality. This is the reality of the NBA. Guys are going to be down. We’re going to be in situations. How do we figure out to do the little things when we get to the playoffs? That’s what this is about. This is a great learning lesson for us, right? Brooklyn was a great win. Milwaukee was a great win. Detroit was a great win. There’s a lot of learning lessons in this.
> “We’ve got the talent, and when we get whole, we’ll get right. So it’s not about that; it’s about learning each thing each night, and obviously you want to learn through wins and put yourself in the best position. But, hey, we’re shorthanded and we’ve got to figure it out as a group.”
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### Mitchell Says the New Season Presents a ‘Different Challenge’
For Mitchell, the 2025-26 season isn’t just a fresh page; it’s a whole different book in a different library.
> “It presents a different challenge,” he told Heavy. “It presents a challenge of every night progressing, you know what I mean? It’s not about 15 in a row. It’s not about 12 in a row. It’s about, how do we progress and get ready for the playoffs and win these games ideally as we’re learning? I don’t think we’re coming in here like, oh, whatever. I think the mindset is like, hey, these are ways to get better, and let’s get better through wins. Because we have a lot we can work on and get better.”
The Cavaliers certainly have the pieces to compete for a championship. If they don’t reach their potential, though, Donovan Mitchell knows there’s no amount of Yankee failure that will ease the sting.
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*By balancing leadership on the hardwood with a deep-rooted love of baseball, Donovan Mitchell embodies the spirit of a true competitor navigating a challenging season with resilience and perspective.*
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/donovan-mitchell-baseball-dad-mets-yankees/