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Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

Recent film and TV projects also under the Boardroom umbrella include the Academy Award-winning Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER (Apple TV+) and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime).

Boardroom’s sister company, Boardroom Sports Holdings, features investments in emerging sports teams and leagues, including the Major League Pickleball team, the Brooklyn Aces, NWSL champions Gotham FC, and MLS’ Philadelphia Union.

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Sneakers October 13, 2025
Boardroom Staff
Boardroom Staff

Donovan Mitchell on Building His Signature Sneaker Legacy with Adidas

Courtesy of Mitchell / Adidas
On the latest episode of Network with Rich Kleiman, the Cavs star opens up about his Adidas signature shoe line, design process, and what it means to be among the NBA’s elite.

    Despite being selected near the end of the lottery in the 2017 NBA Draft, Donovan Mitchell quickly proved to be one of the biggest steals of his class. The explosive guard averaged over 20 points per game as a rookie and broke several scoring records, including tallying 171 points in his first-ever playoff series — a mark surpassed only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.

    Already signed with Adidas upon entering the league, Mitchell’s breakout rookie season prompted the brand to reward him with a signature shoe during his second year. Seven models later, his line has become one of the longest-running and most successful signature series at Adidas, and in the entire NBA.

    “I really think it’s a unique space,” Mitchell said on the latest episode of Network with Rich Kleiman. “It’s a first-team All-NBA. It’s an MVP conversation. It’s a championship. It’s another … thing. It’s a competitive thing. I think everybody wants one because it makes you feel you are up there. … My era, we grew up on Jordan and Bron and [Durant] and all those guys, and that was like Kobe, like alright, cool, we want that. So now, I’m in a position where I’m that guy, and it’s a blessing. It’s special to be not just for one, but for seven. God is good, and just means you’re doing something right.”

    While his performance on the court continues to speak for itself, Mitchell has become increasingly hands-on with the design of his signature shoes. With each new release, he takes a deeper role in shaping the look and feel of the line, even turning to friends for feedback to ensure every detail hits just right.

    “You really get what you put into it,” Mitchell said. “I think the first few years, I didn’t know what I was doing. … But now, what do my feet feel like? Is there a low top? What are people saying? And I delegate a lot. I’ll get a shoe, I got like two group chats — a gaming group chat and a friend group chat — I asked them, ‘Yo, would y’all wear this?’ ‘What colorways would y’all wear?'”

    Be sure to catch the full conversation between Mitchell and Kleiman at Boardroom‘s YouTube channel here, as well as Yahoo Sports’ podcast pages on Apple and Spotify.

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    Boardroom Staff