Donovan Mitchell embraces the pressure of being the guy in Cleveland

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has his nickname “Spida” branded on his own signature shoe, socks and hats. And now, that logo is on the NBA star’s signature private wine, The Spida Blend.

Mitchell participated in a one-day apprenticeship with The Prisoner Wine Company in St. Helena, California, on Aug. 26. The five-time NBA All-Star learned about the process of making and blending wine, pairing it with food and branding in the company’s barrel room. With the aid of the company’s winemaking team of Chrissy Wittmann and Todd Ricard, Mitchell made a barrel of The Spida Blend, which is 60% Syrah, 30% zinfandel and 10% cabernet sauvignon, all from the 2023 vintage with Mitchell’s Spida logo on The Prisoner label.

“I can’t wait to get a few bottles,” Mitchell told Andscape in a phone interview on Thursday morning. “And for me, just seeing how the process made it, I didn’t even understand how in-depth all this stuff was. I didn’t understand that you make these bottles two years out. I didn’t know it was even that long. I’m thinking you make these two, three, four months in advance and you put them out there. So just understanding that there is time put in, effort.

“And then I asked what happens when it’s not raining as much and it’s a drier season, being able to have instruments there to make sure that you’re still able to produce at the same level, how much money goes into these machines, being able to see the grapes being processed and crushed in the machine. There was just so many things that just piqued my interest and still stuff that I need to obviously learn about and understand more. But just being able to see it, I didn’t understand how in-depth these people had to go to make the wine.”

Mitchell took part in a Q&A with Andscape on Thursday in which he talked about his apprenticeship with The Prisoner Wine Company, the social justice and prison reform donation he made with the wine company, how he plans to share his wine with his teammates, re-signing with the Cavaliers and more.

What piqued your interest in wine?

I was always curious. Obviously, my teammates in Utah. You had Ricky Rubio, Joe [Ingles], Rudy [Gobert], those three, just hearing them talk about it. And obviously, my relationship with [former Utah Jazz assistant coach] Johnnie Bryant, he talked about wine nonstop. So, hearing it at a younger age in the league, you don’t really think too much of it. You hear about it. You have some concept of what it is and what it does. But at that point it’s not really in my palate. And then as I got older, I started to grow a liking for it, kind of starting to drink some red wine, some pinots, some cabs … understanding when to drink a white, when to drink a red. And I’m at a point now where I’ve always wanted to go to Napa.

Now with Prisoner, being able to not only take that trip to Napa but kind of dive in and explore and just pique my interest to see something that I really want to continue to explore, which when I got there I definitely wanted to continue to explore my interest in it. And now I’m at a point now where I’m looking to make this a yearly thing or continue to go out there each year and learn more and more about the brand, but also about wine in general.

How did the wine apprenticeship with Prisoner come into fruition?

[Indiana Pacers guard] Tyrese [Haliburton] and Prisoner had an event in [Las] Vegas. I went over there and just created a bond. At that time, I was going because my friends were there and they asked me to go and I was like, ‘Yeah, for sure I’d love to do a nice dinner and drink some wine and chat.’ And from there I met a few people at Prisoner, and the bond and the relationship kind of formed from there. Did I think it would turn into this? No, I didn’t. But that just spoke to how well we got along early on when we started talking and chatting. And then obviously when it was brought to us, I was like, yeah, for sure. [That’s] something that I definitely wanted to get into.

What did you learn during the apprenticeship and what did you enjoy the most?

Honestly, making my own wine and then also being able to do the taste test with the different foods. So. we had a hash brown-type potato and then we put different things like put garlic on it and a different ketchup that was made in-house. Just watching the concept of how in-depth and how detailed everybody was at Prisoner and in the wine world. ‘It’ll taste different when you put this type of garlic on it. It’ll taste different when you put this type of ketchup on it. It’ll taste different when it’s heated, when it’s cold.’ Just being able to learn the ins and outs and also being able to make my own wine and I kind of created my own blend. It was pretty good.

The Prisoner’s vice president and general manager is a Black woman you spent time with named Bukola Ekundayo. There is not a lot of African American leadership in the wine industry. What did that mean to see her in that position?

It meant a lot. Not only was she an African American, she’s a Black female, and at a brand like that in a world, in a space where it’s kind of new for us as Black Americans. And for myself to be able to see her in that light and just continue to put a face in a world that we’re not really in, that was something that really piqued my interest. Obviously, the brand being what they’re about was obviously special. But just to be able to see her and see her continue to call shots, that’s something that, like you said yourself, that we are looking to continue to push for our people.

So, in this world of wine where Black people typically aren’t in it as much or they’re not really understanding of it as much to be able to see her in a position of leadership, it really resonated with me. That’s what I’m about as well. And just being able to be with a brand that has that and is open to that and wants more Black leadership, that’s something that really spoke to me as we continue to do this partnership.

The Prisoner has focused on social justice and prison reform initiatives. What are your thoughts on their platform and also jointly giving $25,000 to the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to quality higher education for incarcerated people?

It really aligns with what my passion is. Obviously, in prison reform, being able to not only [join] Prisoner Wine in a donation, but also being able to [help] people who are incarcerated that look like me. One of the labels that they made and created was of someone who was incarcerated. Being able to give that second chance, to be able to give that opportunity, to be able to educate, bring education to people who are incarcerated, continuing that.

And obviously, the education piece speaks a lot to me because that’s pretty much one of my pillars and in my foundation. My mom’s a teacher. I’m big into education and inspiring our youth. That’s really where it all starts in this world is education. If you have been able to teach people and look at the divisiveness and the differences in the world that we have today, a lot of that is just because we’re not educated on the people that we’re talking about. There’s different cultures in this world that we aren’t even educated on. That’s a lot of the issue.

So, for me to be able to partner with a brand that is heavy on that, and obviously with Alliance of Higher Education, that’s something that I, myself, Spida Care is [aligned with]. But also, with Prisoner Wine, and you look at it in their name, they’re very open about it, very on the forefront of it. And especially in a space where it’s not really talked about a lot in the wine business, that really for me meant a lot just because it was near and dear to my heart. When I partner with a brand, I don’t want to just do it to do it. I want to do it for a greater purpose. And seeing Prisoner doing that as well as myself was the perfect marriage.

When are you going to get your wine?

They said they’ll have it soon. They’ll save a couple of bottles for when I come back out there next year. That is something that I would definitely want to do. But no, I’m definitely going to break them open at a team dinner at some point.

The biggest thing for me was I made a cab, pinot, Syrah blend. It’s my first one. But when I go back and I spend more time and I spend a couple more days out there, that’s when I’ll kind put my stamp on it for real. This was a one-day blend.

There are a lot of NBA players, African Americans in particular, getting into the wine space. Why is that?

It’s an untapped culture for us. For athletes, if you’re in that space, it’s a conversation piece. It is kind of like golf. In your meetings, you’re talking about wine, you’re drinking wine. It’s just a space that when I was younger I wasn’t thinking about wine. But as you continue to be put in these rooms and these spaces — and as we know it’s a predominantly white space that hasn’t tapped into us as a Black culture — that is something that we definitely need to continue to get into because it’s a great place to be.

It can be intimidating if you don’t know. But the biggest thing is trying to go out there and learn about it. And I’m starting to see a lot of us continue to find ways to get into the wine culture.

You told everyone you were re-signing with the Cavaliers and you felt that folks didn’t believe you. But during the offseason, you signed a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season. What did signing this extension mean to you?

Until the pen hits the paper, obviously words don’t mean anything. But for me, man, once I got traded here, I didn’t even know what was here until I got here. Obviously, I knew who would be here on the team, but just the city of Cleveland, it’s really had a hold on me. I just really love the people. I love the passion, the fandom, the organization obviously, and obviously my teammates. And for me, we’ve continued to find success and continue to build and build and as I’ve always said, ‘You don’t just get ready and then just make the Finals or win a chip. It takes time. You got to continue to build and continue to grow.’ And that for me was my biggest thing is how do we find ways to continue to do that.

And having an organization that believes in that, that isn’t just cool with just being status quo and just being OK and being good … And after losing to Boston last [season], yeah, we were injured and we had all these different ways we could look at excuses. The energy wasn’t that in the locker room. It was more like we’re coming back doing it again. And for me, it meant a lot just because that’s what I believe in myself. So being able to be with my guys and be on this team again and to the foreseeable future, I’m excited. We got a lot to prove and I got a lot to continue to go.

What responsibility comes being the face of the franchise and signing the contract like that?

You got to be the guy. And sometimes that means going out there and scoring. Sometimes that means going out there and then make sure everybody gets involved. Most nights it’s getting everybody involved, I should say. That is what comes with it. Being the guy, when the praise comes, it’s never always about me. It’s about my guys and helping me get there.

So, understanding that whether we go far, we don’t go far, that’ll be placed on my shoulders and understanding and accepting that pressure and embracing it. I feel like I’ve had that for the majority of my career. But also making sure you continue to be that leader and the locker room voice — lead by example — but also being able to be coachable. That’s the biggest thing, too. Not just being too big, being a guy that wants that challenge, wants that burden, but also be coachable, be approachable, and be the leader that I know I can be.

The Cavaliers fired J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach and replaced him with Kenny Atkinson. How did you take the coaching change?

It is part of the game, part of the business. I got respect for J.B. and especially what he’s done here in Cleveland for what he did during the five years he was here. But it’s just part of it. And for us, bringing in Kenny I think is going to be a great addition to what we’ve continued to build. If you look at what he’s done and what he did in Brooklyn [as a head coach], obviously being with Golden State [as an assistant coach] the past few years and then being [an assistant coach] with the French national team, he’s been around a lot of winning at a high level. So being able to bring that here, it’s something that’s going to definitely help us continue our trajectory of going upward, going forward and continuing to build. That’s the biggest thing, continue to build. And you can’t skip steps. That’s the biggest thing. You got to continue to find ways to win.

You have a great, long-term relationship with new Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, dating back to your Utah Jazz days. How did you convince him to leave the New York Knicks’ bench to come to Cleveland?

I appreciate him, man. I consider him a brother now. For us to get one of the best coaches in the league and a future head coach in this league, it’s definitely a blessing. You added to just a great coach and Kenny, but now you’re adding a fantastic associate head coach as well who will be a head coach at some point. What he’s seen, he’s been around winning at a high level. To get him for sure was definitely huge. And obviously we had our relationship, but more importantly outside of that, you bring a basketball mind in player development and guy who really knows a lot about the game.

The were no major changes made to the Cavs’ roster. But you got some young talent maturing and more familiarity. If you guys are healthy, what are you?

We’re championship contenders when we’re healthy. I feel like last year we grew in a lot of ways. We played a lot of different ways. Now during that stretch, we went on, obviously D.G. [Darius Garland] and Evan [Mobley] were hurt. But we found something that really can help bring us to the next level. So now the trick is how do we continue to implement that style of play over 82 [regular-season games] and then the final 16 [playoff] wins. But the development, that’s part of the reasons why I decided to sign was because I believe in our development. I believe in the hunger and the will that we have as a group.

And so, for us, I believe we’re cherished contenders when healthy. But at the end of the day, I can tell you this, we got to go out there and continue to prove it on a daily basis. We haven’t done anything. We just one more game than we did two years ago me. So now it’s how do we find ways to continue to win and build and build and move forward. And we haven’t accomplished what we needed to accomplish. We’ve done a lot, but we have more to go.

Are you putting a lot of pressure on yourself to get this franchise to that elite level?

I wouldn’t want any other way, to be honest. That’s why I work the way I work, to allow myself to put that pressure on me. You give yourself grace in moments, but understanding that you train the way you train, you eat the way you eat for that pressure so it doesn’t feel like it’s pressure. It’s just part of what comes with that contract. That’s kind of been my focal point. This is what is expected of you. This is what it is, and there’s no shortcuts to it. There’s no negotiating with yourself. I think it was Kobe [Bryant] who said that you signed that contract with yourself, there’s no negotiating it. That just is what it is. So, yes, I do, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Anything different you work on this summer or was focused on improving?

Getting my body right. Obviously, you work on what you work on, on the floor. But I think taking a bigger focus to the nuances of my body and how I can continue to stay healthy. I started training a little bit later just to focus because I had my knee situation last [season]. So being able to take my time, really give myself time mentally and physically to build it back up to continue. There’s nothing wrong structurally, there’s no damage or anything like that, but as you get older, you want to be able to be ready, be available. The best ability is availability.

So that’s a big one that I really spend a lot of time with whether it’s getting a full-time chef that’s with me every day. I’ve had a chef, but now it’s more so like this guy, he’s been the team chef, but now the chef that I have now is my guy and he’s with me everywhere I go. Obviously, you have the training staff that we have, which are phenomenal. So being able to just keep being focused on body because the basketball will definitely continue to take care of itself because I trust in my work.

You guys had a top 4 record in the Eastern Conference last season. But often times when the national media talk about the East, they talk about the other teams. Have you noticed that? How does that sit with you? Any motivation from that?

It’s to be expected. Everybody that they speak on — if I’m correct, and correct me if I’m wrong — has made noise. We’ve got Boston, won a chip. New York and Philly are the other two. Obviously, we’ve all made it to the same distance. We’ve all made it to the second round. But at the end of the day, they’ve made major changes. We haven’t made major changes. So maybe that’s not something to talk about.

But for us, I can’t let it piss you off. It just is what it is. They’re going to talk about what they want to talk about. And for us, we just have to go out there and just continue to prove to ourselves who we are, not worry about what’s being said around us. We all have our own motivation of not being healthy and available to play Boston and give them our best shot. That’s what happens. If you’re not ready and not healthy, then you miss your opportunity.

So, for us, that’s our motivation. Just continuing to find ways to not just stick around. We got to get to a conference finals and then the Finals. That’s our biggest motivation. But it doesn’t shock me, to be honest with you, that we aren’t in those conversations. But it’s September, the goal is not to be in those conversations now. The goal is to be in those conversations when the time comes and when it matters.