INDIANAPOLIS — Louisville doesn’t just give out retired jerseys. Nor should it.

The standard is high, which is why the five retired men’s basketball jerseys that currently hang from the KFC Yum! Center rafters came from players who were all, at minimum, consensus All-Americans:

Russ Smith. Pervis Ellison. Darrell Griffith. Wes Unseld. Charlie Tyra.

Times change though and qualifications should too.

Donovan Mitchell is worthy of having his jersey retired at U of L, only not for what he achieved with the Cards.

Mitchell should be honored for what he’s doing now in the NBA.

“I'm not the best player that was at Louisville, I’m definitely not on that list,” Mitchell said. “But I definitely try to be the best player to come out of there.”

Mitchell was the lone U of L representative in the NBA All-Star game Sunday in Indianapolis. He’s elevated the Cleveland Cavaliers to second place in the Eastern Conference and his 28.4-point scoring average ranks fifth in the NBA.

His college career was just pretty good. But Mitchell is a star in the league. When’s the last time that could be said of a former Louisville player?

As great as Griffith — who took home the NBA’s 1981 Rookie of the Year award — was he was never an All-Star. Still, the Utah Jazz retired his No. 35 jersey. Junior Bridgeman was never an All-Star either, but his No. 2 jersey was retired by the Milwaukee Bucks. Ellison was the NBA’s No. 1 overall pick in 1989 and won the league’s Most Improved Player award in 1992, but those were his career highlights.

Unseld had the best NBA career of U of L alumni. The Hall of Famer won Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 1969 and earned five All-Star appearances through his first seven seasons, but never one past the age of 28. Unseld achieved the ultimate prize in leading the Washington Bullets to the 1978 championship and being named the NBA Finals MVP.

Mitchell is more closely aligned with Unseld’s career arc.

He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Ben Simmons in 2018 even though Simmons should have been ineligible for the award since his first season was actually in 2016-17 when he sat out due to injury. (The NBA Players Association gave Mitchell its Players’ Voice award in 2018 for Leader of the New School, which recognizes the top rookie.)

Mitchell has earned five All-Star appearances in his first seven seasons too and, unlike Unseld, they’ve all been consecutive — and he won’t turn 28 until September.

Even with his career taking off, Mitchell has stayed tethered to U of L. He carries being an ambassador for the program as his unofficial job title. With the program in its current state of rebuilding, Mitchell is a walking reminder of its greatness.

“It’s always going to be home for me,” Mitchell said. “They always show love, always show support. I'm always going to have Louisville in my heart.”

Mitchell is just beginning to hit his prime, which is a pattern for elite players in this generation.

Any player who has the talent to potentially earn consensus All-American honors isn’t going to stay on campus long enough to receive the accolades.

Mitchell only played two seasons for the Cards. His freshman season ended with Louisville implementing a self-imposed postseason ban in 2016.

His sophomore year, he made the jump to become the leading scorer on the team with a 15.6-point average. Mitchell was also named first team All-ACC and made the league’s all-defense team.

The Cards finished second in the ACC and were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but suffered a second-round upset to Michigan.

Mitchell’s two years on campus alone weren’t spectacular enough to merit his jersey being retired. At the time, they weren’t even enough for a consensus that he was ready to turn pro. Up until the late stages of his decision, former head coach Rick Pitino and his staff thought he’d return for his junior year.

It’s been some years, but Mitchell wants to return to U of L now to take in a basketball game. He did that during football season when he brought some of his Cavaliers’ teammates to watch Louisville beat Notre Dame in October.

Even though he didn’t play for head coach Kenny Payne, he wants to show support for the program.

“I still remember doing the Derby Classic, getting the love before I even got there,” Mitchell said. “Now every time we play here in the Pacers' arena there are Louisville fans everywhere. The love is deep and for me, it’s about returning that love.”

Louisville should continue to show the love is reciprocal. Retire Donovan Mitchell’s jersey.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball: Retire Donovan Mitchell's jersey for NBA resume