In Marvel’s fictional multi-verse, we cannot understate the role of Spiderman. Of his many iterations, Spiderman also saw the adaption of Myles Morales, an African American teenager from Brooklyn, New York. Morales’ legacy though mostly limited to comic books and movie screens, has recently found its way into basketball culture, and Donovan Mitchell appears to be ‘Spidies representation in the league.
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During Michael Rubin’s recently held White Party, “Spida,” as many affectionately call him [Mitchell], was even seen hanging out with former Spiderman actor, Tobey Maguire, sparking questions about Mitchell’s connection to Spiderman. Like Morales, even the 27-year-old is a product of New York, growing up in Elmsford. But Mitchell’s trademark name “Spida” predates his entry into the NBA, or the recent Myles Morales movies.
Back in 2017, during a sit down with the NBA’s official media team, a 19-year-old Mitchell even explained the origins of his name, claiming that his dad’s friend gave him the name after seeing his Arachnid-like reflexes.
“I had long arms and I was quick to get a lot of steals…I didn’t think it would correlate to where I am now. He never called me by my first name and to this day, he still doesn’t. He’ll text me, ‘Spida, how ya doing?’ Spiderman was one of my favorites growing up and it just stuck with me. That’s where it all came from.” Mitchell said.
Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) tells us how he got the nickname “Spida” growing up playing ball! #ADayWithDonovan pic.twitter.com/8Inb2L3dY6
— NBA (@NBA) September 13, 2017
The Cleveland Cavaliers SG has taken the Spiderman troupe even further as the 27-year-old always keeps the Spider symbol visible in his brand and sneaker deals. In fact, Mitchell’s nickname has even made it onto the branding of his sneaker line with Adidas [The D.O.N]. There are a few versions of the DON Issue #1 and #2 with Spiderman references as well, like the original Marvel red-blue version and the Spidey Sense shoes from the second edition.
The Cavs star even got to work alongside Marvel to promote their 2019 Spiderman movie, ‘Spiderman: Far From Home’. The advert saw Mitchell and Spiderman [played by Tom Holland] get their suitcases exchanged which results in the point guard trying on the Spidey suit. It’s fair to say ” Spida” looked dapper in the outfit, with Mysterio [played by Jake Gyllenhaal] even complimenting the former Jazz guard for the fit, while also confessing to being a big fan of his game.
Moving forward similar to Morales, even Mitchell will have an uphill battle to capture his dreams, as next year’s championship race will be nothing like we have seen in the recent past. With the addition of Paul George and Mikal Bridges to former contenders in the East, the task is only going to get tougher as the year goes on. Hopefully, Mitchell and the Cavs stay healthy, as they are a team that’s capable of pulling off an upset in the East next season.
