Donovan Mitchell to Donate $45K to Support Education of Jacob Blake's Children

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell announced Friday that he is donating the first $45,000 in proceeds from his new signature sneakers to support the education of Jacob Blake's children:

Blake is a 29-year-old Black man who was shot by police Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A Blake family attorney said Blake is paralyzed from the waist down. 

Mitchell's Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 Spidey Sense sneakers dropped Friday, and Mitchell said the first $45,000 of the proceeds will be put into a college fund for Blake's kids. The Jazz star added that Adidas is matching the contribution as well, meaning a total of up to $90,000 will be donated toward the education of Blake's children.

The shooting of Blake has had a profound impact on the NBA, as players refused to take the court for the playoff games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. The Milwaukee Bucks started the protests by deciding not to play their Wednesday matchup against the Orlando Magic.

After the players and the league had a meeting about what the NBA can do to enact social change, the players voted to continue the playoffs, although no games will be played Friday.

Athletes from MLB, the NHL, the WNBA, MLS and tennis also refused to play in protest of social injustice, systemic racism and police brutality, leading to games being postponed.

The Jazz own a 3-2 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in their first-round playoff series, and Mitchell's play is a big reason why.

The one-time All-Star is averaging a remarkable 37.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds in five postseason games thus far.