Superstar Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers has just delved headfirst into the realm of video gaming as a new hobby outside of his NBA obligations.
His favorite title? Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the one.
Mitchell explained to reporters the cause of his pronouncedly “raspy” voice during a recent media availability session (as reported by @RealDCunningham). “I’ve been playing Call of Duty with these kids and screaming at them and stuff. So that’s where my voice goes… I genuinely try to improve, which only makes me more frustrated. I even watch gameplay clips on TikTok, yet I still can’t get the hang of it!”
Donovan Mitchell compares his On-Court performance to gaming
The five-time All-Star said that he finds online combat difficult. He said: “It’s been tough. I really do put in the effort to get better, which only heightens my disappointment. Truth be told, I even reached out to Call of Duty saying, ‘Hey, throw me into the trash lobbies, that’s where I belong.’ It’ll be interesting to see how that goes,”
“I feel like when Call of Duty notices me playing decently, they say, ‘Alright, let’s put the pros with Donovan.’ I don’t think that’s a fair matchup… these players are jumping, sliding, and darting around… while I’m just trying to keep up. It’s a real challenge!”
This is not the first time Mitchell’s love of gaming has been made public; previously in the 2022–2023 season, Kyrie Irving disclosed that the two had played a few games together before games. “A little before one of our games with Don, I was playing Call of Duty. I sensed that he was ‘locked in’.
For anyone interested in Mitchell’s on-court heroics, he recently put on an incredible show against the Bulls on January 2, 2023, scoring an incredible 71 points (22-for-34 shooting), dishing out 11 assists, and pulling 8 rebounds.
Regarding the future, Donovan might have to leave the controller on Friday night once more.
