Sam Mitchell has joined the Bobcats coaching staff as the team’s lead assistant coach, it was announced by General Manager and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff. The former 13-year NBA player was an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks the last two seasons.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Sam onto our coaching staff. He is already one of the top, young assistant coaches in the NBA and he will complement our existing, well-rounded coaching staff very well,” said Bickerstaff. “Sam brings a wealth of NBA experience as both a coach and a player and he has always been a well-respected person in NBA circles. One of the things that intrigued me about Sam was his philosophies on player relationships, as well as on basketball, and I know he will be a great fit for the Bobcats.”
Following his NBA playing career, Mitchell was on the coaching staff of the Milwaukee Bucks the last two seasons. The Bucks qualified for the playoffs in both of his seasons on the bench after missing the postseason before he arrived. This season the team finished with a 41-41 record and the team’s head coach, Terry Porter, was third in the voting for NBA Coach of the Year. Mitchell helped Michael Redd gain his first All-Star appearance in 2004 and Redd was in the top five in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award.
“I am very happy about joining the Bobcats organization. I was part of an expansion start-up as a player and enjoyed it very much on and off the court, and I can’t wait to be a part of the expansion process now as a coach in Charlotte,” said Mitchell. “This is a positive move in my coaching career and I look forward to working with and learning from a successful NBA coach and executive in Bernie Bickerstaff, as well as skilled coaching and basketball operations staffs. I can bring my successful experiences in building a team over time as a player and my work with a team-oriented approach as a coach in Milwaukee to a similar environment here in Charlotte.”
Mitchell started his playing career as a member of the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989-90 season and remained there for three years before he was acquired by Indiana in 1992. He re-signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1995 and remained with the team until his retirement in 2002.
A consummate professional, Mitchell played in 994 regular season games and 59 playoff games with averages of 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Mitchell remains tops on Minnesota’s all-time list with 757 games played and is second in Timberwolves history with 7,161 points, 1,773 free throws made, 2,664 field goals made, 3,030 rebounds and 449 steals.
Mitchell was drafted in the third round (54th overall) by Houston in the 1985 NBA Draft. Before entering the NBA, he played in the Continental Basketball Association for three seasons and played in France’s top professional league for two seasons (1987-89), where he learned to speak French fluently.
The all-time leading scorer at Mercer University with 1,986 points, Mitchell was the Trans-America Athletic Conference (TAAC) Player of the Year as a senior and a two-time first team selection. He led Mercer to the TAAC championship and NCAA tournament berth in 1985. Mitchell was also selected the most valuable player of the annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament predraft camp in 1985.
He and his wife, Anita, have four children: Morgann and Maya, and twins Rhagan and Rhana.