The new Bolts import for the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, tipping off later this month, once had a literal eye-popping injury while playing for the New Zealand Breakers in 2017.
"With the palm of my hand I felt my eyeball on the side of my face," he told New Zealand's Radio Sport. "I could still see out of the eye."
While going for the rebound against Cairns Taipans centre Nnanna Egwu, Mitchell suddenly fell to the floor in agony early in the fourth quarter of the Breakers' 94–81 loss after what seemed to be an innocuous poke to the face. It resulted to his left eyeball coming out of its socket.
Mitchell was taken to Auckland Hospital after the incident, where he was advised by specialists that while there was some damage to the eye, early reports were positive that the injury was not as serious as first feared. He was later discharged by specialists that night and reported having vision in the eye.
The 6-foot-9 power-forward then returned to the UUnited States to seek further specialist advice on his injured eye.
"I remember thinking oh man... this is kinda bad, but I actually felt it kind of out of place and that's when I kind of freaked out a little bit."
The 24-year-old said he remembered hearing the crowd and fellow players panicking and thought he would lose his sight and his career was over.
"Once I got in the ambulance they gave me a little pain medicine and some saline drops in my eye and I felt it slide back into place, which is also a really strange feeling.
"It felt so good to be able to blink again, which is insane."
After being released from hospital, he was "seeing fine" and used the eyeballs emoji.
The player from North Carolina fully recovered and played with several teams in France, Australia, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Greece, Germany, and China before signing up with the Meralco Bolts.
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