Donovan Mitchell Says Cavs Should 'For Sure' Retire Kyrie Irving's Jersey
CLEVELAND — When a superstar leaves a team, possible jersey retirements tend to be a touchy subject. In the case of Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell believes his contributions to the Cleveland Cavaliers more than justify such an honor, including helping to guide the franchise's only championship run.
“He should have his jersey retired for sure,” Mitchell said after Tuesday’s shootaround. “Being able to do what he did at the highest level, year after year, to go from not winning to being able to do that and have that impact I think is something that was truly remarkable. Obviously, what he has done in the playoffs in his career and in Cleveland, where he brought the city a championship, I feel like him, K-Love [Kevin Love], and Bron [LeBron James] should all have their jerseys retired. I think he should definitely have it retired.
"Only championship in team history, and he was a huge part of that," Mitchell explained. "I think that’s something that should never go overlooked.”
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Mitchel, who grew up in Elmsford, New York, has long admired Irving's game, even studying his approach in the early stages of his basketball career. He recalled a particular game watching Irving go off against the San Antonio Spurs when competing against Tony Parker and that rendition of the team.
“I will never forget it,” Mitchell said. “I’m watching them play in San Antonio and they are down by like 20. I fall asleep, and I wake up at 3 a.m. to the rerun, and the next thing you know, he’s going off for 57. He has the spin play where he splits Boris Diaw. He has a play where he’s going at Tony Parker and laying it up over the big. Different finishes. Different things. Just to see that, especially in that matchup against Tony Parker, that was probably the one that sticks out to me because I was like, ‘This is over.’ It’s kind of weird that I’m able to speak on it as a young kid but still able to be here and go at it with him.”
When discussing what he admires about Irving's play style, Mitchell highlighted the unpredictable nature of how he operates and how he gets to spots. There are counters to create advantages based on how the defense reacts, which Mitchell described as "very free-flowing, creative, and artistic."
“It’s so unpredictable,” Mitchell said of Irving's style. “How he gets to his spots. He has counters to counters. He hits tough shots. That’s what makes him unique and special, for sure. I’m very anal about how I do it and what I work on. How he approaches it is very free-flowing, creative, and artistic. There are not many that can emulate that, what he does with the ball in his hand.”
As Mitchell continues to be the top player on the Cavs, he remains focused on helping to guide the franchise to another championship as opposed to worrying about chasing any of Irving's records.
“I wouldn’t say I’m looking at the records per see, but everything he’s able to accomplish, you want to go out and compete with that,” Mitchell said bluntly. “I have no doubt he feels the same way. Us being from the same area, and I’ve watched him since I was growing up, so I definitely want to go out there and give it the best shot every time.
"As far as the records go, the records don’t mean anything without a ring," Mitchell explained. "I could break every record but if we don’t have a championship, he was able to accomplish that. The goal is to bring a championship to this city. That’s the focus. Anything we can do to win a championship. That’s the primary focus.”
Mitchell will face off against Irving when the Cavs take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night at RocketMortgage Fieldhouse.
