Gauchos great Ajay Mitchell returns to UCSB an NBA Champion
Mike Klan
UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – One of the best players to ever call the Thunderdome home is back getting his shots up at UC Santa Barbara.
“It’s home for me so I am happy to be back for a couple of weeks,” said Ajay Mitchell after completing a workout upstairs in the TDome. “A lot of memories, it’s always a great time being here, reminds me of back in the day and it’s only been a year.”
The second round selection in the 2024 NBA Draft helped the Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA Finals just two months ago.
“Couldn’t have dreamed of something better,” smiled the 23-year guard. “It was a dream to be in the NBA, bigger dream to win an NBA Championship.”
A toe injury that required surgery cost Mitchell about three months of his rookie season.
But he played well before and after the injury for the Thunder as he scored 6.5 ppg and averaged about 16.5 minutes a game.
He shot 49.5 percent from the floor including over 38 percent from three-point distance.
“In the NBA you have to be able to shoot and shoot at a high percentage so that is all I keep working on and keep getting better at that,” said Mitchell.
Just weeks after celebrating the title, Mitchell signed a three-year contract with OKC worth almost 9 million dollars.
In early July he was an absolute star in the 2025 NBA Summer League where in six games he averaged almost 20 points per game along with 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
“He dominated summer league and we are only going to see great things to come,” proudly stated UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack. “Ajay could move anywhere in the world in the summertime and this is home, this is where feels most comfortable.”
Mitchell was a three-time All-Big West selection in all three seasons at UCSB including two First Team honors. He was the league Player of the Year and Championship MVP in the 2022-’23 season leading the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament.
Mitchell is the second player from UCSB to be an NBA Champion as guard Brian Shaw was on the Los Angeles Lakers when they pulled off a three-peat from 2000-2002.
When asked about the NBA title, a new contract and tearing up the summer league, Ajay simply stated “It’s been a fun year.”