Mike Mitchell​

Mike Mitchell was a standout at Auburn University before he ever got to the NBA. He was an All-SEC selection all four years and was a Second Team All-American his senior year. He remains Auburn’s second all-time leading scorer and first in total rebounds. In 2013, his number 30 jersey was retired by the Tigers.​

Drafted 15th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1978, Mitchell became an All-Star in just his third season, averaging almost 25 points per game. The following year, he was traded to San Antonio, where he made an immediate impact. In just his second season with the Spurs, he helped lead them to the Western Conference Finals, in which he averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds, falling in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. In seasons, where he started more than 20 games for the Spurs, Mitchell averaged under 20 points only once, when he averaged 19.9. He remains seventh on the Spurs’ all-time leading scorer list with just under 10,000 points.​

Over his 10 years in the NBA, Mitchell averaged just under 20 points a game, and had a resounding impact on Spurs basketball, especially in the playoffs. After retiring, he worked as a counselor for at-risk youth, running after-school programs at the local juvenile detention center. In 2011, Mitchell passed away from cancer at the age of 55.​