Donovan Mitchell
I'm on a no-gummy bear or juice diet, and my body feels like it's dying on the inside.Collection: Diet
It's pretty cool to see the people I'm reaching throughout the entire world. It's special.Collection: Cool
As a kid, my favorite subject was recess. Why? Because I could go play basketball.
Determination Over Negativity is a belief that anything is possible no matter who you are or where you come from.
I go by the 80-20 rule. So, 80 percent of the time, I'm eating healthy and focused on the right foods - fruits, vegetables, all the good stuff. Then there is 20 percent of the time where you can sneak in some of the other foods, like a steak. That's not to say that a steak is bad.
When we're playing at home in Utah, breakfast is really the only meal at which I allow myself to be a little unhealthy. So it's usually pancakes, waffles, eggs, and bacon. I like to keep that consistent. For lunch and dinner, I will have Caesar salad.
My mom raised me.
Being patient is one of the big things I've focused on.
Sometimes those shots I take won't go in but I'm going to continue to take the same shots.
I'm focusing on the day to day and all the accolades will come.
I've never been the top dog. I've always been the underdog. And that's why I relate so much to Utah, because we're underdogs, we're overlooked, kind of thought of as an afterthought.
For me to get better, I have to pick and learn from the best. It starts with that.
I'm from New York. You walk by, you bump somebody and they give you a look. There's always an attitude.
It's easy to give back to people who are so genuine and kind.
I'm always willing to do whatever it takes.
It's not like I'm the lead actor or anything. But it's really cool to be in a Steven Soderbergh movie.
During the season, I'm always locked in one gear, ready to play basketball, always keeping my guard up.
I was the lead recruiter at Louisville. I think I signed four or five guys before I left.
We play with guys who don't care who scores the most, who rebounds the most... We play with guys who genuinely want to win.
I'm able to defend. A lot of guys don't have that willingness to defend and I think as a guard who's undersized - that's what everybody says; I'm undersized - I'm able to defend and willing to defend and bring that.
Women have to be protected more.
I never expected to be in the NBA, to be here, let alone to have my own shoe in my second year.
We're putting Utah in a different light. I'm glad to be a part of that. We're all glad to be a part of that. My friends want to come here. When I was a kid, that wasn't the case. That's where I'm trying to get Utah to. I want people to see what we have because it's a great place.
I'm a very, very impatient person when it comes to breaking news.
I have so many special memories from the camps I went to when I was growing up.
Everybody asks me if I've always been a sneakerhead. No. I was never a sneakerhead until I had the money to be a sneakerhead.
There are shoes in my closet that people would go crazy over. That's where my giving back comes in. I might never wear these shoes, but some kids would go crazy for them.
I grew up around a lot of the major leaguers, guys like David Wright, Pedro Martinez, Jose Reyes, and I think that's what really helped me. You see the routine they get, the humility they have.
I've seen guys who had the craziest amount of talent growing up and let that hype and whatnot and the money go to their head.
I join other players in calling for all teams to take a stand. We should not be subject to hate speech or racist acts at any time, and definitely not in our arenas.
Everybody likes to look at the end goal, but when you sit back and reflect, I played on Team U.S.A. That's incredible for me. I think that in itself is amazing.
I can't have no assists and five turnovers. If you have no assists and five turnovers, you have to look yourself in the mirror and figure out how to adjust.
It's been like that my whole life. AAU to high school to college, I've always responded when people get on me.
I don't like being told what you're good at. I'd rather hear what I didn't do.
The biggest thing I've been working on his just finding the open man.
I'm just trying to find ways to continue to pass and continuing to be consistent in every aspect of my game.
I know I've got a lot more to learn, so I'm just taking it game by game.
You know, it's a long season and hopefully a long career.
I was never able to be a part of U.S.A. Basketball in high school or college. So for me, it's a privilege.
When I was a kid, my favorite event was the Slam Dunk Contest.
I didn't think I was going to be drafted, to be honest. I'm so serious. I mean, wholeheartedly, too. I don't know. I didn't realize it, probably, until about a week and a half, two weeks before the Draft.
Once I got invited to the Green Room, that's when I was like, okay, I'm first, I'm getting drafted in the first round. Because they try their best not to let guys sit in there forever.
I've always been one to kind of, I've always wanted to be the guy. I watched, my favorite player growing up was LeBron. One thing I noticed with him was, it's always on him at the end of the game.
I want to be the best teammate I can be, the fastest learner, the hardest worker, and just go out there in any way that I can help in each game.
My teammates have had my back with every mistake, with everything I have done well.
I have so many resources I can go to and as a player who wants to learn, I'm trying my best to learn.
It's not always going to be perfect but to have your teammates have your back through the ups and downs, it means the world.
I've gotten better. I've added a lot to my game.
I watch a lot of Dwyane Wade. D-Wade was in the Finals his third year and he was getting to the free-throw line 10 times a game.
It's one thing to make it to the NBA. It's one thing to make the playoffs your first year. It's one thing to make the playoffs your second year. But if you want to be great, you've got to continue to work.