Ajay Mitchell’s sisters Alexis and Ashley were Division I volleyball players who quietly inspired one of the NBA’s most surprising 2026 playoff stars. Here’s everything verified about the women behind the name.
When Ajay Mitchell carved through the Los Angeles Lakers defense for 24 points and 10 assists in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, zero turnovers, all poise, the question fans started asking wasn’t just about the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was about who built this person.
The answer, it turns out, runs deeper than a Belgian gym or a father’s coaching. It runs through two women who played volleyball in the American Midwest and quietly became the reason Ajay Mitchell ever dreamed of playing college basketball in the United States.
Alexis and Ashley Mitchell: The Half-Sisters Who Traded the Basketball Court for Volleyball and Inspired an NBA Star
Ajay Mitchell has two half-sisters, Alexis and Ashley, both daughters of his father Barry Mitchell from a prior relationship with a woman named Sherry. That half-sibling distinction matters and has been quietly omitted by several outlets covering the family.
The sisters grew up in Davenport, Iowa, a continent away from where Ajay was being raised in Ans, Belgium, yet their presence loomed large in his development.
Ashley Mitchell, born May 21, 1987, competed as an outside and middle hitter at Northwest Missouri State University. According to her official athletic bio, her siblings are listed as Alexis and Ajay, one of the few publicly available records that formally connects all three.
A feature profile during her time at Northwest Missouri State described her as a player who “comes out to win every time she steps foot on the court”, a competitive streak her coach noticed immediately.
Alexis, the other half-sister, played as a middle blocker at the University of Wisconsin. She earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition as a sophomore, leading the Badgers with 78 total blocks and a .299 hitting percentage that season.
She was also a dual-sport athlete, competing in track and field as well. Neither Alexis nor Ashley has a known public profile today, both live private lives, and there is no verified information about their current occupations.
What connects all three siblings is a pull quote that Ajay himself delivered and that cuts straight to the heart of the story. “He went to college, and my sisters went to college, and I was like, ‘I want to follow that path as well,'” he said.
Barry Mitchell and Fabienne Wagemans: The Parents Who Shaped Ajay, and the Loss That Now Shadows His Playoff Run
To understand Ajay Mitchell’s sisters, you first have to understand the father they share. Barry Jeffrey Mitchell, born April 28, 1965, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was a standout at Norfolk State University before going undrafted and signing with the Wyoming Wildcatters of the Continental Basketball Association.
He eventually made his way to Belgium, playing for BC Oostende, where he won the Belgian league championship in 1995 and the Belgian Cup twice. It was there that he met Fabienne Wagemans, and where Ajay was born on June 25, 2002. Fabienne played an important role in shaping Ajay’s character.
Barry Mitchell passed away on December 17, 2025, at the age of 60, after suffering a heart attack. His obituary noted that one of his proudest moments was attending the NBA championship ring ceremony after Ajay’s rookie season.
Ajay’s 2026 playoff emergence is happening in the shadow of that loss, which adds a quiet weight to every highlight.
Fabienne, meanwhile, remains in Belgium and largely out of the spotlight.
“My mom is still in Belgium, and our being away is pretty hard for her, “but she understands that I have to be here to achieve my goals. It’s hard, but I call her every day and we stay really close.”
Ajay Mitchell
From a Belgian Gym to the Playoff Stage: Mitchell’s 2026 Breakout in Context
Stepping into a larger role after Jalen Williams went down with a hamstring injury, Mitchell has been the Thunder’s most surprising weapon against the Lakers. In Game 3, he became the first player since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City to post at least 20 points and 10 assists without a turnover.
“He’s got an innate ability to hang in there long enough to play well.”
Coach Mark Daigneault
That composure was built by a family, a father who played professionally across two continents, a mother who held everything together from Belgium, and two half-sisters who showed a kid in Ans that American college basketball was an achievable road, not just a dream.
FAQs
What are Ajay Mitchell’s playoff stats in 2026?
In Game 3 against the Lakers, Mitchell recorded career playoff highs of 24 points and 10 assists without a turnover, becoming the first player since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City to achieve that feat.
Who is Ajay Mitchell’s mother?
Ajay Mitchell’s mother is Fabienne Wagemans, a native Belgian who raised Ajay in Ans, in the Liège province of Belgium. She remains largely out of the public eye and still lives in Belgium.
What is Ajay Mitchell’s ethnicity?
Ajay Mitchell is of mixed Belgian-American ethnicity. His father was African-American and his mother is Belgian, giving him dual Belgian-American nationality and a multicultural upbringing across two continents.
What award did Ajay Mitchell win at UC Santa Barbara?
Mitchell was named Big West Player of the Year and Big West Championship MVP in 2023 as a sophomore, averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 assists on 50.6 percent shooting from the field.
