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Ajay Mitchell

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Belgian-American basketball player (born 2002)
Ajay Mitchell
No. 25 – Oklahoma City Thunder
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-06-25) 25 June 2002 (age 22)
Ans, Belgium
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
CollegeUC Santa Barbara (2021–2024)
NBA draft2024: 2nd round, 38th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2021Limburg United
2024–presentOklahoma City Thunder
2024–present→Oklahoma City Blue
Career highlights and awards
  • Big West Player of the Year (2023)
  • 2× First-team All-Big West (2023, 2024)
  • Second-team All-Big West (2022)
  • Big West Freshman of the Year (2022)
  • UCSB Athlete of the Century (2000)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Ajay Mitchell (born 25 June 2002) is a Belgian-American basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. He was selected in the 2024 NBA Draft. Mitchell plays for the Belgium national team since 2021.

Early life and career

Mitchell grew up in Ans, Belgium. At age 17, he moved to France for a period of a few months, where he played thirteen games in the under-18 team of Nanterre 92, along with Victor Wembanyama, among other teammates. He began playing for Limburg United's youth team in 2019 and made two appearances with the senior team in the Pro Basketball League during the 2019–20 season.

Mitchell played solely with the senior team during the 2020–21 season while maintaining his amateur status. After the season, he committed to playing college basketball for UC Santa Barbara.

College career

Mitchell played in 27 games during his freshman season and was named the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and second team All-Big West after averaging 11.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game and was named the Big West Player of the Year during his sophomore season.

Professional career

Oklahoma City Thunder (2024–present)

On June 27, 2024, Mitchell was selected with the 38th overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA Draft, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the 40th overall pick in the 2024 draft and cash. On July 6, 2024, Mitchell signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On January 10, 2025, Mitchell was ruled out for 10-to-12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a turf toe sprain in the great toe on his right foot.

National team career

Mitchell played for the Belgium under-18 team, before making his debut with the senior team at age 18 in 2021.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 UC Santa Barbara 27 23 32.1 .531 .327 .750 2.2 3.7 .8 .2 11.6
2022–23 UC Santa Barbara 35 35 33.8 .506 .267 .813 2.7 5.1 1.3 .3 16.3
2023–24 UC Santa Barbara 29 29 31.5 .504 .393 .858 4.0 4.0 1.2 .4 20.0
Career 91 87 32.5 .511 .332 .818 3.0 4.3 1.1 .3 16.1

Personal life

Mitchell's father, Barry Mitchell, played college basketball at Norfolk State and professionally in the Continental Basketball Association and World Basketball League before playing and settling in Belgium.

References

  1. "Ajay Mitchell quitte Limburg pour Cal State Santa Barbara". La Dernière Heure (in French). 22 June 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Van frêle tiener en ploegmaat van de jonge Wembanyama naar het basketbalwalhalla: wie is NBA-Belg Ajay Mitchell? | sporza". sporza.be (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  3. "Des Liégeois sans ressort écrasés à Limburg". L'Avenir (in French). 31 January 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Belgian basketball star commits to play for UCSB". Santa Barbara News-Press. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  5. "Mark Patton: Ajay Mitchell Can Now Talk the Talk with UCSB Basketball". Noozhawk. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  6. "UCSB Sophomore Ajay Mitchell Honored as Big West Basketball Player of Year". Noozhawk. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  7. Flojo, Enzo (June 28, 2024). "Thunder 2024 NBA Draft grades for every pick". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  8. "Thunder Signs Nikola Topić and Dillon Jones". NBA.com. July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  9. "OKC Thunder Rookie Ajay Mitchell Undergoes Surgery, injury Timeline". si.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.

External links

Oklahoma City Thunder roster
Oklahoma City Blue current roster
Links to related articles
Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
2024 NBA draft
First round
Second round
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