Tony Mitchell (basketball, born 1989)

High school career

As a junior at Swainsboro High School, Mitchell averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots, earning Georgia Sports Writers Association Class AA Player of the Year and all-state honors. He transferred to Central Park Christian in Birmingham, Alabama for his senior year, averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists while leading the team to a 2008 national title. He was rated a four-star prospect and the number 10 small forward by Scout.com, and a four-star player and number 8 small forward by Rivals.com.

College career

Mitchell committed to Alabama in June 2007 over South Carolina and Cincinnati, but academic issues delayed his enrollment until the 2009–10 season. He spent the 2008–09 year at Central Park Christian, a preparatory school, leading them to a 25–0 record and a National Christian Education Basketball Tournament title.

As a freshman at Alabama, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, made 18 starts, and was named SEC Freshman of the Week, Alabama's Most Outstanding Freshman, and a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team. In his sophomore season, he led the team in scoring, rebounds, steals and minutes, was named SEC Player of the Week, and earned second team All-SEC honors. He was later suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and granted his release from the 2011–12 team.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft, Mitchell played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2012 NBA Summer League. He was acquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in November 2012, won the 2013 D-League Dream Factory Dunk Contest, and was named 2013 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year. He joined Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters for the 2013 Commissioner's Cup, then played for the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in summer leagues. He signed with Jilin Northeast Tigers of China for 2013–14, left after 11 games, and was re-acquired by Fort Wayne.

He signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks in March 2014, was not offered a second 10-day, and returned to Fort Wayne, helping them win the 2014 NBA D-League championship. He joined Dolomiti Energia Trento of Italy for 2014–15, leading the league in scoring with 20.1 points per game and being named Serie A MVP. He then played for Krasny Oktyabr, Estudiantes, Dinamo Sassari, Hebei Xianglan, Hapoel Eilat, and the Cairns Taipans. In February 2017, he was banned for the entire 2017–18 NBL season for throwing the ball at a referee after a semi-final loss.