Donovan Mitchell defies NCAA with message on shoes

Louisville’s 2013 national title may no longer exist in the record books, but Donovan Mitchell is still doing his best to keep the memory alive.

Before his Utah Jazz played Portland on Friday, Mitchell, who is a former Cardinal, showed love to his alma mater with custom cleats that listed the name of each player on that year’s roster along with the message “2013 Champs.” Here’s what they looked like, via Blazers beat writer Casey Holdahl:

Donovan Mitchell’s Louisville Dame 4 customs are really something. pic.twitter.com/xaXcfgoAhG

— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) February 24, 2018

The NCAA came down hard on Louisville earlier this week, forcing them to vacate 123 victories from 2012 to 2015 (including that national title) due to the infamous sex scandal that rocked their university.

As for Mitchell, who spent two seasons in Louisville from 2015 to 2017, this display definitely seems like part-solidarity and part-defiance, similiar to what we recently saw from another prominent Cardinals alum.