MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers had the day off, but that didn't stop one player from staying busy. It was an exciting and meaningful day for students at Ohio College Preparatory School in Maple Heights, where Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell spent the afternoon and had some special treats for the kids.
"This is what this is about for me," Mitchell said. "Just being able to be at the school and just give the kids just a few hours of my day and just give them some inspiration, and just say, 'Hey, I'm here in this community' and try to just reach every child."
On Thursday, Mitchell and his family visited Ohio College Preparatory School with giving back top of mind through their foundation, SPIDACARES.
Mitchell started off the day with the youngest learners, joining them for a storytime before playing a game of Simon Says and then surprising them with a bundle of goodies.
"We have shoes, we have backpacks, and we also have gear from the Cavs. Can you say thank you to the Cavs?" Mitchell said before the kids all answered back in return, "Thank you, Cavs!"
From new Adidas shoes to Spida-branded backpacks filled with notebooks and other items, the kids all went home with some items of need and some special treats just for them.
"Teddy bears, books, all those different things," Mitchell said. For me and my mom and my sister, obviously through my family we thrive and we love education; kind of showed them that school is important, school is key to the future."
After he spent time with the kindergartners, kids in every grade were treated to pizza and snacks, with the older kids getting to stick around for a Q&A with Mitchell.
Some of the students had questions like "What was your favorite subject in school?" Mitchell's answer was math and Spanish.
Other kids wanted to hear more about his new wife, Coco Jones, and how they met. Mitchell was all smiles as he talked about his bride.
Still, there were plenty of basketball-related questions for the seven-time NBA All-Star.
"How many points are you going to average this year?" one boy asked.
"How much do you want me to?" Mitchell responded. "30? 31? Well then the answer's 31, I got you."
The questions wrapped up with an added surprise: not only did Mitchell stick around to sign items for each student, but he also added a treat for them.
"Y'all get not those, but my shoes. I'll get y'all Adidas sweats — and I'll make sure y'all taken care of," he told them.
The students all gave their shoe and clothing sizes so that Mitchell could provide the new shoes and clothing items to the older kids as well.
For the kids at OCP, it was an unforgettable day spent with an NBA superstar — and for Mitchell, it was an opportunity to show his love for Northeast Ohio.
"When something feels like home, just being able to say, 'Hey, I'm integrated in the community,'" Mitchell said. "You never know what a hug may do, just seeing the person they see on TV, what that may do to their whole trajectory of their life, trajectory of their week, day."
