Former NBA player Michael Anthony Mitchell dies at the age of 55: NBA Update
San Antonio Spurs former small forward Michael Anthony Mitchell passed away at the age of 55 earlier on Thursday in San Antonio. Mike Mitchell Junior, son of Michael stated that his father was battling cancer for the past two years
which became the reason for his death.
San Antonio Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich was extremely saddened to hear about Mitchell’s death and said, “He was a good man who cared deeply about his family and the community of San Antonio. As a basketball player he was a star
in Auburn, Cleveland, San Antonio and Italy. At each stop in his distinguished career he was a fan favourite thanks to his outstanding offensive skills and his humble, down-to-earth personality.”
Michael was born in Atlanta, Georgia on 1st January 1956. He had a flourishing college basketball career at the Auburn University where he was the All-time leading rebounder with 996 boards in his bag. Everybody knew
at that time that Michael has the ability and strength not only to keep up with the pros of NBA but also can carry the action dominantly in the professional career.
Mitchell was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round pick during 1978 draft. The influential small forward powered the lowly Cavaliers with his versatile talent. During his one All-Star season in 1980-1981, Mitchell
showcased his brilliance with outstanding all round performances in all of the 82 games. He dominated the proceedings for Cleveland when they were considered as the worst team and averaged 24.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in the All-star season.
Mitchell spent three and half season with the Cavaliers and as they started to look good, he took his talent to the San Antonio Spurs where stayed for the rest of his NBA career. The 6 foot 7 inch Michael appeared in 488 games
of the regular season with the Spurs with an average of 20.1 points. Mitchell led the San Antonio in scoring during two successive season 1984-1986.
The instrumental All-star has been a constant scoring threat for the opposition during his stay with the Spurs and landed 9799 points which puts him at the fifth spot in the San Antonio’s All-time leaders in points.
Michael took retirement from NBA after the 1987-1988 season. However, he joined an Italian league and showcased his brilliance for another decade before he officially retired from basketball in 1999.
Michael’s 759 regular season games during his ten years of splendid career in NBA will be remembered in the world of basketball. His career average with the league was 19.8 points, 5.6 boards and 1.3 assists. He was definitely
among the most famous players in NBA who had great basketball skills.
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