Other than the two minutes that lapsed between when Makhi Mitchell entered the world on Jan. 31, 2000, followed shortly by the arrival his “younger” brother, Makhel, the identical twins were virtually inseparable for the first 22 years of their lives.
The Washington, D.C., area natives, knew from an early age that their enormous size gave them an advantage on the basketball court. They began playing organized sports at the age of 6, and always remained on the same teams.
“We’ve always been on the same team, we’ve always been to camps together, and we pretty much did everything together,” said Makhi, the 6-foot-10 forward for the Arkansas basketball team, who was a guest on the Eric Musselman Live radio show Tuesday night at Sassy’s BBQ & Grille.
After developing their skills around the courts of the nation’s capital, the twins honed their talents at Woodrow Wilson High School, where they became 4-star prospects, and were rated as the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the region in 2018 by 247 Sports.
After signing together and playing their freshman seasons at Maryland, the duo transferred to Rhode Island for the following two years. Last season, they were plucked out of the transfer portal by Eric Musselman, looking to add some needed size to the Arkansas front court.
The Mitchells helped catapult the Razorbacks to their third straight Sweet 16 appearance, as Makhi started 31 of the Hogs’ 36 games, averaging 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, while shooting a team-leading 66 percent from the floor. Makhel logged nine starts, averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest.
After the season, the 23-year-old brothers had to make one of the toughest decisions of their lives, ultimately deciding to move in different directions. Makhi chose to remain at Arkansas for his final season, but Makhel thought it was best to transfer, deciding to spent his final season at Little Rock.
“You know, it was a business decision,” Makhi said. “But I think we are both at that point, that we can handle ourselves and handle our own things. He’s at a good spot. I’m at a good spot. I’m happy for him and proud of him, and I know he is proud of me.”
Makhi has averaged 6.7 points and 5.0 rebounds through the Razorbacks’ first three games this season, but shined brightest in an 86-77 victory over Old Dominion on Monday night, tallying a double-double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The twins still talk at least once a day by phone and try to meet up, either in Fayetteville or Little Rock, when time permits.
“I’ve been down to Little Rock a few times to visit and hangout,” Makhi said. “He loves the city and loves the campus down there, so he is happy.”
With their school schedules and practice schedules usually somewhat in sync, the Mitchells get to continue their brotherly competitiveness with each other via online video games, where they battle it out on a regular basis.
“We still get to spend a lot of time together, talking on the phone or playing games, so it’s working out good,” Makhi added. “That’s my brother, man, and I love him so much.”
