| Mitchell playing for the New York Liberty. | |
| WNBA's New York Liberty – No. 5 | |
| Guard | |
| Born | June 15, 1985 Richland, Washington |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| High school | Kennewick High School |
| College | Utah, Idaho |
| Draft | 25th overall, 2008 Phoenix Mercury |
| Profile | WNBA Info Page |
| WNBA Teams | |
| New York Liberty (2008–present) | |
| Awards and Honors | |
| WNBA Most Improved Player (2010) | |
Leilani Mitchell (born June 15, 1985 in Richland, Washington, U.S.) is an American basketball player in the WNBA for the New York Liberty.
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Mitchell was born to an American father, Dennis Mitchell, and an Australian mother of Asian descent (specifically Filipino, Malaysian, Singaporean, Indian, and others), Eleanor Majid. She has 5 brothers Tyler, Troy, Travis, Reggie, and Robbie. [1][2] Mitchell played high school basketball at Kennewick High School, where the team won a state 4A title.
Mitchell played her first three years of college basketball at the University of Idaho. Mitchell then transferred to the University of Utah. She sat out the 2006-07 season under NCAA rules, and then played the 2007-08 season for Utah.[3]
Mitchell was drafted by the San Antonio Silver Stars twenty-fifth overall in the second round of 2008 WNBA Draft. Mitchell was then traded to the Phoenix Mercury. When the New York Liberty learned during the 2008 pre-season that the Mercury planned to cut Mitchell, the Liberty acquired Mitchell in a trade in exchange for a 2009 third round draft pick.[4]
Initially a bench player, Mitchell made her first professional start on June 6, 2008 in place of the injured Loree Moore. During the 2008 season she developed a strong fan following and a reputation for fearlessness in grabbing loose balls and occasionally driving to the basket.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the Liberty's narrow loss to the Detroit Shock in Game 3 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.
Mitchell became the regular starting point guard in the 2010 season, after the Liberty released Moore in the offseason. Mitchell led the WNBA in 3-point percentage at 48%, scored 9.3 points per game, and had 3.8 assists per game en route to winning the 2010 WNBA Most Improved Player Award.[5]
On September 2, 2011, Mitchell scored a career high 24 points in a win against the Minnesota Lynx.
Mitchell has played for ASPTT Arras in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB), a French professional league, during the WNBA off-season.[2] For the 2009-10 season, Mitchell won the Import Player of the Year Award and was named to the LFB 1st Team.[6]
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