Sam Mitchell (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sam Mitchell

Mitchell with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1963-09-02) September 2, 1963 (age 61) Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
High school	Columbus (Columbus, Georgia)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	Mercer (1981–1985)
NBA Draft	1985 / Round: 3 / Pick: 54th overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	1985–2002
Coaching career	2002–2019
Career history
As player:
1985–1986	Wisconsin Flyers
1986	Tampa Bay Flash
1986–1987	Rapid City Thrillers
1987–1989	Montpellier
1989–1992	Minnesota Timberwolves
1992–1995	Indiana Pacers
1995–2002	Minnesota Timberwolves
As coach:
2002–2004	Milwaukee Bucks (assistant)
2004–2008	Toronto Raptors
2010–2012	New Jersey Nets (assistant)
2014–2015	Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)
2015–2016	Minnesota Timberwolves (interim)
2018–2019	Memphis (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player: TAAC Player of the Year (1985) 2× First-team All-TAAC (1984, 1985) No. 42 retired by Mercer Bears As coach: NBA Coach of the Year (2007)
Career NBA statistics
Points	8,636 (8.7 ppg)
Rebounds	3,711 (3.7 rpg)
Assists	1,089 (1.1 apg)

Samuel E. Mitchell Jr. (born September 2, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played as a small forward. Mitchell had a long 18-year career in basketball. He is best known for playing ten seasons with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. He also coached the Timberwolves for the 2015–16 season.

Mitchell was also the head coach for the Toronto Raptors from 2004 to 2008. He won the Coach of the Year Award in 2007. After his coaching career, Mitchell became a sports analyst. He worked for TSN and NBA TV. He also co-hosts a talk show on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

Sam Mitchell's Early Life and College Basketball

Sam Mitchell finished high school at Columbus High School in 1981. He then played college basketball for four years at Mercer University (1981–85). Mitchell became the top scorer in Bears history. He scored almost 2,000 points during his time there.

In 1985, Mitchell led his team to win the regular-season and postseason championships. These were for the Trans American Atlantic Conference. As a senior, he averaged 25 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Mitchell helped the Bears reach the NCAA tournament in 1985. This was only the second time in the team's history.

From Army to Professional Basketball

During his junior year of college, Mitchell joined the Army. After the 1985 NCAA tournament, he went to boot camp. This was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A month later, he left the Army. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1985 NBA draft. He was the 54th player picked overall.

However, the Rockets did not keep him. So, Mitchell joined the Wisconsin Flyers in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He was not happy in the CBA and left the team. He went back to Georgia and worked as a special education teacher.

During his summer break, he tried out for the U.S. Basketball League. He joined the Tampa Bay Flash and helped them win the league title. He tried out for the Rockets again but was cut. He then played in the CBA for the Wisconsin Flyers and Rapid City Thrillers. After that, he played basketball in France for Montpellier Basket.

Sam Mitchell's NBA Playing Career

Playing well overseas brought new interest from the NBA. Mitchell signed a contract with the new Minnesota Timberwolves team. He was 26 years old when he started as a rookie. In his first 28 games, he averaged 17.3 points. He finished that year averaging 12.7 points per game.

Mitchell played three years for Minnesota. Then, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. He had a smaller role with the Pacers. But he helped Indiana reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994–95. After that season, he returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Helping Future Stars

That same year, the Timberwolves drafted Kevin Garnett. Garnett was a future All-Star player. Mitchell is known for helping Garnett improve his game. Mitchell retired from playing in the NBA after the 2001–02 season.

Sam Mitchell's Coaching Career

Right after he stopped playing, Mitchell became an assistant coach. He worked for the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons until 2004. Then, he briefly joined the new Charlotte Bobcats as their top assistant coach.

Mitchell became the head coach of the Toronto Raptors. He was the sixth head coach in the Raptors' history. This happened after the previous coach, Kevin O'Neill, was fired.

Leading the Toronto Raptors

In January 2007, Mitchell was named coach of the month. He helped the Toronto Raptors improve their record. On March 30, 2007, Mitchell won his 100th game as an NBA coach. The Raptors beat the Washington Wizards that day.

Mitchell saw his team struggle in his first years as coach. But he led the Toronto Raptors to their first division title ever. They won the Atlantic Division in the 2006–07 season. On April 24, 2007, he was named NBA Coach of the Year. This was a big award for him.

On May 22, 2007, Mitchell signed a four-year contract with the Raptors. He had led them to their first playoffs since 2002. On November 25, 2007, Mitchell passed Lenny Wilkens for the most wins in Raptors team history. He was the longest-serving head coach for the Toronto Raptors.

Changes and New Roles

On December 3, 2008, Mitchell was let go as the Raptors' head coach. The team had an 8–9 start to the 2008–09 season. Assistant coach Jay Triano took over as interim head coach. Triano became the first foreign-born player to coach an NBA team.

Mitchell was hired as an assistant coach by the New Jersey Nets on July 19, 2010. Later, he was moved to a scouting position. In 2012, Sam Mitchell coached the USA select team. They won a bronze medal at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan.

On June 16, 2014, Mitchell became an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. On September 11, 2015, he became the Timberwolves' interim head coach. This happened because coach Flip Saunders needed medical treatment. Saunders sadly passed away on October 25, 2015.

Mitchell became the official head coach for the rest of the season. He coached the Timberwolves to a 29–53 record. This was the fifth-worst record in the league. On April 13, 2016, Mitchell was no longer the interim head coach. The Timberwolves looked for a permanent coach. Tom Thibodeau replaced him.

On June 13, 2018, Mitchell was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis. He worked under coach Penny Hardaway. After one year, Sam Mitchell left the Memphis program.

Sam Mitchell's Media Career

After his coaching career, Sam Mitchell began working as an analyst. He has appeared on NBA TV.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head Coaching Record

Personal Life

Sam Mitchell lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He lives there with his wife, Dawn Session-Mitchell. Mitchell has four children from a previous marriage.

See also

In Spanish: Sam Mitchell para niños