Personal information | |
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Born |
Atlanta, Georgia |
January 1, 1956
Died | June 9, 2011 San Antonio, Texas |
(aged 55)
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Luther Judson Price (Atlanta, Georgia) |
College | Auburn (1974–1978) |
NBA draft | 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15th overall |
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
Playing career | 1978–1999 |
Position | Small forward |
Number | 30, 34 |
Career history | |
1978–1981 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
1981–1987 | San Antonio Spurs |
1988–1990 | Filodoro Brescia |
1990 | San Antonio Spurs |
1990–1991 | Filodoro Napoli |
1991–1992 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
1992–1999 | Reggio Emilia |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NBA and Serie A statistics | |
Points | 24,080 (22.2 ppg) |
Rebounds | 6,787 (6.3 rpg) |
Assists | 1,189 (1.1 apg) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Michael Anthony Mitchell (January 1, 1956 – June 9, 2011) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) over eleven seasons from 1978 to 1990.
Mitchell, who was born in Atlanta, played collegiately at Auburn 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 to Chuck Person. Mitchell's number 30 jersey was retired on January 19, 2013 at the Auburn Arena.
Mitchell was drafted with the 15th pick in the First round of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He started his NBA career with the Cavaliers, but played most of his career for the San Antonio Spurs. Mitchell was a 6'7" and 215 lb. small forward with career averages of 19.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game, a .493 field goal percentage, and a .779 free throw percentage.
Mitchell was an All-Star in 1981, and was in the top ten in scoring four times and top ten in minutes played three times. Among other career highlights, he led the Spurs in scoring for the 1984–1985 season, which marked the only season in which George Gervin played on the Spurs and did not lead the team in scoring. 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 career. His 9799 total points for the San Antonio Spurs is seventh highest in franchise history, behind Gervin, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, James Silas and Manu Ginobili.