Ajay Mitchell

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

Early life and career
Mitchell grew up in Ans, Belgium. 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.

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.

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.