If you had Donovan Mitchell’s vertical leap, you could be a slam dunk champion. All you have to do is know his nickname, however, to maybe win a spelling bee.
This week, the Jazz’s star guard added to his rookie season accolades with an unusual honor: “Spida,” Mitchell’s nickname, was added to Dictionary.com.
The website defines Spida (noun, pronounced spahy-duh) as such:
1. A basketball species usually found above the rim; equipped with superhuman senses, shot-slinging abilities and unrivaled bounce.
2. Nickname of Donovan Mitchell, record-breaking shooting guard for the Utah Jazz and contender for NBA’s 2018 Rookie of the Year.
Mitchell and his sponsor, Adidas, have been fond of definitions this season. With the debate raging over whether the Rookie of the Year award should go to Mitchell, or to Philadelphia forward Ben Simmons, who was eligible for the honor despite sitting out last season with an injury, the Jazz guard stoked the flames with a sweatshirt that defined a rookie as a first-year player.
Mitchell did not end up winning the Rookie of the Year honor, with the voting press making him a runner-up to Ben Simmons instead.
But, you could say, Mitchell still got the final word.
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