Bolts Signs Akil Mitchell As Import

It is now official. The Meralco Bolts just signed a legitmate big man in 6-foot-9, 234-pound center-forward Akil Mitchell as import for the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup scheduled on 27 November.

Mitchell, 32, has already started practicing with the Bolts after coming in straight from the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), where he played for the Qingdao Eagles for less than two months.

Mitchell was undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, but joined the Houston Rockets for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On 26 September 2014, he signed with the Rockets, but was later waived by the team.

On 2 November 2014, he was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Rockets. In 49 games for the Vipers in 2014–15, he averaged 9.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

In May 2016, Mitchell trialled for the Panama men's national basketball team ahead of the 2016 Centrobasket in June. He made the squad, and in six games for Panama, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

The Virginia standout also had stints in France, Australia, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Greece, Germany, and China.

Mitchell has a scare injury last 26 January 26, 2017, while playing for the New Zealand Breakers in the 2016–17 NBL season. Mitchell fell to the floor in agony early in the fourth quarter of the Breakers' 94–81 loss to the Cairns Taipans after what seemed to be an innocuous poke to the face while contesting a rebound with Taipans centre Nnanna Egwu. The impact resulted in 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 Mitchell was later discharged by specialists that night and reported having vision in the eye.

On February 2017, Mitchell returned to the United States to seek further specialist advice on his injured eye.