Matt Varga Today’s NBA landscape, and to a real extent, its signature shoe landscape is now defined by player movement. Look at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for proof, shifting halls in Beaverton mid-stream despite (or maybe, because of) his illustrious resume. Luckily for the Three Stripes, one of their franchise pillars isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. adidas and Donovan Mitchell have announced a new contract extension, keeping him under the banner through his tenth signature shoe.
Though Spida has built out his on-court exploits in both Utah and Cleveland, the German giant is the only company he’s ever called home in his pro career, putting pen to paper shortly after being drafted in 2017. It’ll take at least two more seasons for the accomplishment to be truly ticked off, but this announcement confirms plans for an adidas DON Issue #9 and Issue #10, placing him in rare air when it comes to pro hoopers’ footwear franchises. Labelmates Damian Lillard and James Harden have crossed into the double digits for adi; all-timers like LeBron, Allen Iverson, Klay Thompson, Kobe Bryant, and of course, Michael Jordan have reached that number elsewhere.
From the beginning, adidas has allowed me to be myself and build something that feels authentic to how I view the game. The D.O.N. franchise has grown into so much more and I’m proud that we get to keep that story going. I’m just as excited about continuing the work with Spida Elite Camp and working towards creating more opportunities for young hoopers. – Donovan Mitchell on his contract extension with adidas
Beyond the actual product coming out of the partnership, adidas’ resources will remain in place behind Mitchell’s Spida Elite Camp, a platform for Donovan to share his on-court skill and off-court wisdom with the next generation. adidas will also continue to support Greenwich Country Day School, #45’s elementary and middle school, and their NIL program.
