Leilani Mitchell Quick Fact Profile.
| Full Name | Leilani Seamah Mitchell |
| Born | June 15, 1985 (37 years) |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 138 lb (63 kg) |
| Nationality | American/ Australian |
| Nickname | Lei |
| Position | Point guard |
Who is Leilani Mitchell?
Leilani Mitchell is an American-Autralian basketball star, She was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. Leilani is a dual citizen of America and Australia, she is also a member of the Australian women’s national basketball team. Furthermore, she became the first WNBA player to win the Most Improved Player Award twice.
Childhood & Family
Leilani was born in 1985 and raised in Richland, Washington. She is the daughter of Dennis Mitchell and Eleanor Majid and brother to Tyler, Troy, Travis, Reggie, and Robbie. As a dual citizen, of the United State and Australia her mother is an Australian while her father is an American. In 2009 her mother Eleanor died from cancer.
Career
Leilani started her career at Kennewick high school, as a four-year starter, she was named first-team all-state as well as all-conference as a junior and senior at Kennewick high school. She managed to earn Big Nine Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior. Additionally, she led her school to the state championship for four consecutive years.
In 2003 Leilani enrolled at Idaho University. During her Freshman season, she finished fifth in the league by scoring 15.7 points, 3.08 steals, and 6.0 assists per game, ranked as the seventh in the Big West in field goal percentage 0f 47.8 and third in a three-point shooting percentage of 40.2. She was named the 2004 Big West Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the Big West First Team.
Sophomore season Leilani advanced to national prominence in her sophomore year, where she was named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and the WBCA in 2005-2006. Furthermore, she was named of 11 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award and given the nation’s top point guard.
In 2005-2006, Leilani led the WAC and ranked second in the nation in steals by averaging 4.0 per game. She was also ranked first in the WAC and 18th nationally in assists, averaging 5.6 per game contest, as well as scoring 17.6 points per game. Leilani left the University of Idaho with the school’s career record for steals 323 and 3-point field goals made in a single game.
During her senior season, Leilani gets transferred from Idaho university to the University of Utah. in the 2006-2007 season, Leilani sat out under NCAA rules, though she the 2007-08 season for Utah. She averaged 16.8 ppg, 7.5 apg as well as 4.1rpg with seven double-doubles. Moreover, Leilani finished her college career as one of only six NCAA Division I players since 1999-2000 to compile 2000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 steals in her career.
Leilani was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury as 25th overall in the second round of the 2008 WNBA Draft. She was then traded to the New York Liberty during the 2008 pre-season to replace Loree Moore, who was injured. In her first career start over the Houston Comets, Leilani had team-high 18 points going perfect 6-6 from the floor including 3-3 from three-point range. Furthermore, she developed a strong fan following and a reputation for fearlessness in grabbing loose balls as well as occasionally driving to the basket. In the 2010 season, she became the regular starting point guard after the Liberty released Moore in the offseason. likewise, she averaged career-high 9.3 points as well as 3.8 assists ppg. Leilani won the 2010 WNBA Most Improved Player Award.
In 2017, Leilani was released by the New York Libert to return to the Phoenix in free agency. In 2016 she joined the Washington Mystics where she appeared in 10 games before returning to the Mercury in 2017. On May 23, 2019, the Mercury waived Leilani. On July 30, 2019, Leilani recorded a career-high 28 points, setting a WNBA one of the best with 8 three-pointers in a single match over the Washington Mystics. Moreover, she finished the 2019 season by scoring averaged double figures in points which was the first time in her basketball career as the Mercury closed 15-19 and were seeded eight in the league.
Leilani signed with Mystics in free agency in February 2020. She recorded her second career double-double as she had 20 points and career-high 12 assists.
In her international career, Leilani played for ASPTT Arras in the Ligue Feminine de Basketball (LFB) during the WNBA off-season. The LFB selected Leilani as the first team and earned the Import Player of the Year Award in 2009-10. Since the 2014 World Championships, Leilani has been a member of Australia’s national team where they won Bronze. She was also a member of Australia’s senior team, they were eliminated in the quarterfinal during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Leilani Mitchell Personal Life
Leilani is a Lesbian, on July 24, 2018, her fiancee Mikael Dombkins gave birth to her son Kash Maxwell. In addition, Leilani announced, with her partner Mikaela, on Leilani’s Instagram page the birth of their daughter, Elle. Mikael is a WNBL basketball player and coach.
Leilani Mitchell’s Net Worth and Salary
Leilani has a net worth estimated to be $750,000 and her salary is $98,654 as of 2020.
Leilani Mitchell Awards
- 2× WNBA Most Improved Player in 2010 & 2019
- WNBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player in 2017
- 2× WNBL champion in 2017 & 2019
- 3× WNBL All-Star Five in 2014, 2016 & 2017