Donovan Mitchell is about to have an eventful offseason. To mark the rollout of the DON Issue 6 this July, the five time All-Star is set to host the first ever Spida Elite Camp in Los Angeles from June 28-30, a three-day training session comprised of 25 top high school guards, but more notably, a select group of under-the-radar athletes.

There, Mitchell and NBA coaches look to instill a sense of “Determination Over Negativity,” as is the motto of Don’s signature adidas line, one that’s served him well throughout his journey thus far.

The Spida Elite Camp is the most recent among several initiatives Mitchell has undertaken to improve the experiences of youth athletes and shine a light on players who might be overlooked, a feeling Mitchell himself felt at times as a young hooper.

Don spent the first half of his high school days at Canterbury School (a private institution) in New Milford, CT, to which he would later pledge $12 million for a new athletics center and scholarships in 2020. He then transferred to the highly acclaimed Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, where he delivered two prep school national championships and started raking in D1 offers. Even still, Mitchell was ranked as low as seventh among high school SGs in the 2015 class, behind Jamal Murray and five names that have made little to no noise in the league (although some had good college careers).

Mitchell was, for all intents and purposes, overlooked at this stage in his career.

Stories like Donovan Mitchell’s have helped challenge the narrative about high school and college rankings in recent years. The Spida Elite Camp looks to drive home the idea that outside perceptions don’t matter as much as they might seem, especially for young hoopers that are still coming into themselves.

Upcoming adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Colorways Available Beginning July 1st ($120)
Upcoming adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Colorways Available Beginning July 1st ($120)
Upcoming adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Colorways Available Beginning July 1st ($120)
Upcoming adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Colorways Available Beginning July 1st ($120)

“I was one of those guys. I think now kids are starting to understand that rankings don’t really mean much…”

Donovan on overlooked players

Veterans like Mitchell are well aware that when you reach the next level, whether it be college from high school or the NBA from college, everything resets. It’s all about evolving with the nature of your changing situation.

Athletes who attend Spida Elite Camp will also be among the first few to get their hands on the DON Issue 6. Donovan calls the multicolored pair he broke out for the playoffs the “Camp” colorway, which will be given out to those who come to train.

The upcoming release of the DON Issue 6 marks a big moment for Mitchell’s signature shoe line. Part of a wave of new signature guard shoes for Dame Lillard, James Harden, and Anthony Edwards, the DON 6 is Mitchell’s first ever low-top. It’s his sleekest, lightest, and in his own words; best shoe to date.

We linked up with Donovan Mitchell in New York to talk about the Spida Elite Camp and upcoming DON Issue 6. Read the full Q&A below.

Donovan Mitchell in High School Photo by Trevor Reid

Sneaker News: There are a ton of different camps for top basketball talent, but there are very few that actually actively seek out overlooked talent like yours will. What is the process for selecting those overlooked hoopers?

Donovan Mitchell: I feel like for me, I was one of those guys. I think now kids are starting to understand that rankings don’t really mean much, especially coming out of high school and college. At the end of the day, it resets everywhere you go, you know, you get to college, everything resets.

Same thing when you get to the league. No matter what you’ve done in the past, it’s about what you do now, currently.

So it’s kind of about preaching that message at my camp, but also understanding that everybody deserves a look, and that if you can hoop, they’ll find you.

I think that’s something for me that I pride myself on. I can confidently say that people that saw me growing up, hooping in high school and in college, they didn’t think all this was gonna happen.

That was one of the reasons why I’m excited for this, and I got some guys who are highly ranked as well, but I think just being able to give guys that work and a shot to give, it will bring out the competitor in everybody.

Donovan Mitchell in the D.O.N. Issue 6 Photo by NBA

Your camp is gonna help a lot of these athletes get some visibility, but given all the tools people have now like social media, what can an aspiring youth athlete do to cut through the noise?

At the end of the day, if you can hoop, they’ll find you. I went to a high D1 school with Louisville, but there’s guys that make the NBA from different lower division schools, low D1 schools.

But with the way technology and social media is now, just film video everywhere, trust in your game, and continue to put in and build upon that.

I think if you do that, it will all work out. I think it’s obviously tougher at different levels, don’t get me wrong, but I think we live in a world now where there’s video everywhere. So I think there’s definitely things my camp can definitely help with, but just continue to trust in your game, continue to work within your game.

Donovan at Spida Youth Camp (2023) Photo via My Way 45

Now let’s transition into these guys (pointing at the DON Issue 6). Every signature shoe is unique, but the next wave of adidas Basketball product seems to revolve around the same design language. Can you share how the process for creating the DON Issue 6 started and any specifications you had in mind for your next signature shoe?

This is my first low top. I wanted to create a shoe that you could wear around but also hoop in and feel comfortable.

It’s also my lightest shoe, we got the Litestrike Pro technology, but we wanted to change it up a bit and make it futuristic, and I think for me that was one of the biggest things when we made the shoe.

I’m not one of those guys that dissects every piece. I like to see the shoe then say yes or no, and fortunately when I saw this there was really not much to really discuss. I was like “this is gonna be the one, this is my best shoe yet.”

I’m glad you brought up Lightstrike Pro. How does that specifically help your game?

It’s obviously a lot lighter. You can jump higher, run faster. When you’re out here doing these moves, doing different things, you gotta be quicker and faster in different areas. I think those are the biggest things, being able to jump and not feeling that your shoes are weighing you down and what not.

Everyone that has them has told me that these are the lightest shoes they’ve had in a while and I think for me it’s about keeping that mantra so you can continue to play in them for seven days a week.

adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Spida Elite Camp
adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Spida Elite Camp
adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Spida Elite Camp
adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Spida Elite Camp
adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 Spida Elite Camp

Moving away from the tech just a little bit, how do you think your signature line has evolved from a style standpoint? The low top is a huge change, but stylistically what else stands out to you?

I think you said it with the low-top but yeah it’s all about maintaining a simple look but keeping it popping in different areas.

I think my game has kind of evolved in that way where it’s kind of matured over time, just keeping my game simple right down to everything. So the way I matured is kind of how my shoes matured.

That’s a big part of it, having the shoe adapt and fit you as a person and as a player, and that’s what we’ve been able to do.

So now that we know the shoes are releasing soon, do you have any ideas for any specific colorways, special editions, PEs, those types of pairs?

We definitely got some PEs coming, we got some special editions coming. You can get loud ones like the Camp shoes, what I call them. These are for the kids that come to my camp.

You got the simple all white ones, but the biggest thing is make sure they look dope in every color. Sometimes you make a shoe and this colorway looks fire but this one doesn’t, so it’s just about making sure every colorway looks dope. We got the mint green, we got purple, all-black, so many different ones coming out and I’m excited.

Just taking a step back and looking at your signature line as a whole. What would you say are some of your favorite signature pairs? Any model.

I would probably say the Bel-Air pack, the one with the jackets. Those were the dopest to me. And then you got the Toy Story DON 2s which were fire, Crayola DON 2s are up there too.

The adidas DON Issue 6 will officially release on July 5th, 2024.

Written by

Andrew Rizzo, Junior Editor

Andrew Rizzo is an editor at Sneaker News based out of New York City. His primary interests include Air Jordan, Nike ACG, Nike Air Max, and New Balance footwear. Prior to joining Sneaker News, Andrew covered youth sports for several outlets and worked at one of the world’s top performance marketing agencies. He hails from Astoria, Queens and is a huge New York sports fan, particularly when it comes to the Knicks and Yankees.