| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1956-01-01)January 1, 1956 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 2011(2011-06-09) (aged 55) San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 234 lb (106 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Luther Judson Price (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| College | Auburn (1974–1978) |
| NBA draft | 1978: 1st round, 15th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Playing career | 1978–1999 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 30, 34, 13 |
| Career history | |
| 1978–1981 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1981–1988 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1988–1990 | Filodoro Brescia |
| 1990 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1990–1991 | Filodoro Napoli |
| 1991–1992 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 1992–1999 | Reggiana |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 15,016 (19.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,246 (5.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,010 (1.3 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Michael Anthony Mitchell (January 1, 1956 – June 9, 2011) was an American professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), over eleven seasons, from 1978 to 1990.
Mitchell, who was born inAtlanta, playedcollege basketball atAuburn University. While at Auburn, Mitchell was a four-time All-SEC selection and was named a second-team All-American in his 1977–78 season. He also became Auburn's all-time leader in scoring (2,123 points) and rebounding (996), after leaving for the NBA. He remains the all-time leading rebounder and is second in all-time scoring only toChuck Person. Mitchell's number 30 jersey was retired on January 19, 2013, at the Auburn Arena.[1]
Mitchell was drafted with the 15th pick in the first round, of the1978 NBA draft, by theCleveland Cavaliers. He started hisNBA career with the Cavaliers but played most of his career for theSan Antonio Spurs. Mitchell was a 6'7" and 234 lb.small forward, with career averages of 19.8 points per game, 5.6rebounds per game, 1.3assists per game, a .493field goal percentage, and a .779free throw percentage. He was known for his mid-range jumpshot and ability to play well under pressure in the postseason.[2]
Mitchell was anAll-Star in 1981 and was in the top ten in scoring four times, and the top ten in minutes played three times. During the1983 NBA Playoffs, Mitchell and the Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals, where Mitchell led the Spurs in scoring with 25.7 points a game, while adding 10.3 rebounds a game, as the Spurs were eliminated by theLos Angeles Lakers in six games.[3] Among other career highlights, he led the Spurs in scoring for the1984–1985 season, which marked the only season in whichGeorge Gervin played on the Spurs and did not lead the team in scoring over an entire year. Mitchell averaged 22.2 points per game, to Gervin's 21.2 per game.
Mitchell averaged 19.8 points per game over the course of his NBA career.[4] His 9,799 total points scored for the San Antonio Spurs is seventh highest in franchise history, behind Gervin,Tim Duncan,David Robinson,Tony Parker,James Silas, andManu Ginóbili.[5]
From 1988, until a short return to the Spurs during the1990 playoffs, Mitchell played in Italy, withBasket Brescia. He also played in Italy withBasket Napoli, before leaving for the Israeli sideMaccabi Tel Aviv, in 1991. From 1992, until his retirement in 1999, Mitchell played for another Italian club,Pallacanestro Reggiana.
Mitchell later worked as a counselor for at-risk youth, in San Antonio.
Mitchell died ofcancer in 2011.[6]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Cleveland | 80 | – | 19.7 | .513 | – | .736 | 4.1 | .8 | .6 | .4 | 10.7 |
| 1979–80 | Cleveland | 82 | – | 34.2 | .523 | .000 | .787 | 7.2 | 1.1 | .9 | .9 | 22.2 |
| 1980–81 | Cleveland | 82 | – | 39.0 | .476 | .444 | .784 | 6.1 | 1.7 | .8 | .6 | 24.5 |
| 1981–82 | Cleveland | 27 | 26 | 36.0 | .454 | .000 | .720 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .6 | 19.6 |
| 1981–82 | San Antonio | 57 | 57 | 36.7 | .539 | .000 | .733 | 7.9 | .8 | .6 | .5 | 21.0 |
| 1982–83 | San Antonio | 80 | 79 | 35.0 | .511 | .000 | .758 | 6.7 | 1.2 | .7 | .7 | 19.9 |
| 1983–84 | San Antonio | 79 | 79 | 36.1 | .488 | .429 | .779 | 7.2 | 1.2 | .8 | .9 | 23.3 |
| 1984–85 | San Antonio | 82 | 82 | 34.8 | .497 | .217 | .777 | 5.1 | 1.8 | .7 | .3 | 22.2 |
| 1985–86 | San Antonio | 82 | 82 | 36.2 | .473 | .000 | .809 | 5.0 | 2.3 | .7 | .3 | 23.4 |
| 1986–87 | San Antonio | 40 | 18 | 23.1 | .435 | .500 | .821 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .5 | .2 | 12.7 |
| 1987–88 | San Antonio | 68 | 20 | 22.1 | .482 | .250 | .825 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .2 | 13.5 |
| Career | 759 | 443 | 32.3 | .493 | .216 | .779 | 5.6 | 1.3 | .7 | .5 | 19.8 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | .500 | – | 1.000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 14.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | San Antonio | 9 | – | 40.6 | .533 | – | .754 | 8.1 | .8 | .6 | .1 | 24.8 |
| 1983 | San Antonio | 11 | – | 38.4 | .510 | .500 | .758 | 9.5 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.7 | 20.9 |
| 1985 | San Antonio | 5 | 5 | 36.0 | .564 | .000 | .875 | 3.8 | 2.4 | .6 | .8 | 21.8 |
| 1986 | San Antonio | 3 | 3 | 35.7 | .404 | – | .500 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 15.7 |
| 1988 | San Antonio | 3 | 3 | 24.7 | .351 | – | .833 | 5.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 10.3 |
| 1990 | San Antonio | 4 | 0 | 3.8 | .375 | – | – | .8 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 35 | 11 | 33.2 | .502 | .333 | .762 | 6.4 | 1.3 | .5 | .8 | 18.5 | |