Donovan Mitchell Selected as Starter in 2023 NBA All-Star Game
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Former Louisville men's basketball standout and current NBA star Donovan Mitchell has been named to the 2023 NBA All-Star Game as a starter for the Eastern Conference, the league announced Thursday.
Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo round out the starters for the Eastern Conference; while LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic and Steph Curry are the starters for the Western Conference.
Mitchell, who is currently in his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being traded by the Utah Jazz over the offseason, is averaging a career-high 28.3 points per game. His 48.4 field goal percentage and 39.6 three-point percentage are both on pace to be the best in his six-year career, and he’s also averaging 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. He has helped lead Cleveland to a 30-20 overall record for the No. 5 seed in the East.
Earlier this season, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound shooting guard made history when he dropped 71 points in a 145-134 overtime victory over the Bulls. Not only was it the eighth-most points by an NBA player in a single game, but it was the most since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against the Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006
This is Mitchell's fourth time being named an NBA All-Star, all coming in consecutive seasons, and he is the first former Cardinal to be named an All-Star Game starter.
The Greenwich, Conn. native has experienced nothing but personal success from day one in the NBA, and has vaulted into certified superstardom. In 345 career games with the Jazz, Mitchell averaged 23.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, getting named an NBA All-Star in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He is currently in year three of a five-year, $195 million designated rookie max extension that was signed after the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
Mitchell was drafted with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Nuggets, only to be traded to the Jazz on draft night. As a sophomore at Louisville, Mitchell averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists en route to being named a 2016-17 First Team All-ACC selection.
(Photo of Donovan Mitchell: Ken Blaze - USA TODAY Sports)
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