Ajay Mitchell

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Ajay Mitchell
No. 25 – Oklahoma City Thunder
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-06-25) 25 June 2002 (age 23)
Ans, Belgium
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
CollegeUC Santa Barbara (2021–2024)
NBA draft2024: 2nd round, 38th overall pick
Drafted byNew York Knicks
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2021Limburg United
2024–presentOklahoma City Thunder
2024–2025→Oklahoma City Blue
Career highlights
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 professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Mitchell has also played for the Belgium national team.

Early life and career

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Mitchell grew up in Ans, Belgium.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

College career

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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.[5] 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.[6]

Professional career

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Oklahoma City Thunder (2024–present)

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On 27 June 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.[7] On 6 July, Mitchell signed a two-way contract with the Thunder.[8]

On 10 January 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.[9] On 6 February, the Thunder officially converted Mitchell to a standard contract, signing him to a two-year contract.[10] On 22 June, the Thunder won the NBA title, making Mitchell the second Belgian to win the NBA after D. J. Mbenga. On 30 June, Mitchell re-signed with the Thunder on a three-year, $9 million contract.[11]

National team career

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Mitchell played for the Belgium under-18 team, before making his debut with the senior team at age 18 in 2021.[2]

Career statistics

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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
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25† Oklahoma City 36 1 16.6 .495 .383 .829 1.9 1.8 .7 .1 6.5
Career 36 1 16.6 .495 .383 .829 1.9 1.8 .7 .1 6.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2025† Oklahoma City 12 0 7.0 .457 .385 .800 .8 .8 .2 .0 3.4
Career 12 0 7.0 .457 .385 .800 .8 .8 .2 .0 3.4

College

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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

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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.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Ajay Mitchell quitte Limburg pour Cal State Santa Barbara". La Dernière Heure (in French). 22 June 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "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 28 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Des Liégeois sans ressort écrasés à Limburg". L'Avenir (in French). 31 January 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Belgian basketball star commits to play for UCSB". Santa Barbara News-Press. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. 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 (28 June 2024). "Thunder 2024 NBA Draft grades for every pick". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Thunder Signs Nikola Topić and Dillon Jones". NBA.com. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  9. ^ "OKC Thunder Rookie Ajay Mitchell Undergoes Surgery, injury Timeline". si.com. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Thunder Signs Ajay Mitchell to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  11. ^ "OKC Thunder: Grading Ajay Mitchell Contract Extension". si.com. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
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