LaPhonso Ellis

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LaPhonso Ellis
Personal information
Born (1970-05-05) May 5, 1970 (age 51)
East St. Louis, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolLincoln (East St. Louis, Illinois)
CollegeNotre Dame (1988–1992)
NBA draft1992 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career1992–2003
PositionPower forward
Number20, 3
Career history
1992–1998Denver Nuggets
1999–2000Atlanta Hawks
2000–2001Minnesota Timberwolves
2001–2003Miami Heat
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points7,410 (11.9 ppg)
Rebounds4,032 (6.5 rpg)
Assists981 (1.6 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

LaPhonso Darnell Ellis (born May 5, 1970) is an American retired basketball player. He was selected by the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets as the fifth overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.

Early career[]

He was an outstanding high school basketball player at East St. Louis Lincoln High School, where he led the Tigers to two straight Illinois Class AA boys' championships in 1987 and 1988. In a heavily hyped-up matchup, Ellis outplayed Alonzo Mourning in a holiday tournament his senior year. Also in 1988, Ellis was named a Parade All-American and McDonald's High School All-American. In 2007, Ellis was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament", recognizing his superior performance in his appearances in the tournament.[1]

College career[]

Ellis attended the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame qualified for the NCAA tournament his freshman and sophomore seasons and was runner-up in the 1992 NIT Tournament his senior season.

Ellis was one of four captains of the 1991–92 Notre Dame team. Throughout his career, he scored 1,505 career points, averaging 15.5 points per game, to earn school rankings of 12th and 22nd in those categories, respectively. He recorded 200 career blocks, a school record. He ranks third on the school's career rebounding list with 1,075, and eighth on the career rebounding average list with 11.1 per game. He led the 1991–92 team in scoring (17.7 ppg), rebounding (11.7 rpg), field goal percentage (.631), and blocked shots (2.6 bpg). He led Notre Dame in blocked shots in each of his four seasons, the only player in school history to do so. Ellis graduated from Notre Dame on time with a degree in accounting.

Professional career[]

Ellis was the fifth overall selection in the 1992 NBA draft, picked by the Denver Nuggets, In his rookie season, he averaged 14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. He was also named to the 1992–93 All-Rookie first team. Ellis later on struggled with injuries, only playing six games in the 1994–95 season. Ellis had his best season in 1996–97, leading the Nuggets in scoring with 21.9 points per game.

After playing six years in Denver, Ellis signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks. He spent two years with the Hawks before going to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2001, Ellis signed with the Miami Heat, where he retired after the 2003 season. He played professionally in the NBA from 1992 until 2003.

Personal[]

Since 2009, Ellis has been a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

Cultural references[]

Ellis was mentioned multiple times on the Nickelodeon series The Secret World of Alex Mack. In the episode "Nerve" he was said to be star athlete of fictional Danielle Atron Junior High School under Coach Rooney (Glenn Morshower) and record-holder of his signature obstacle course. The school system's athletics field is named in his honor. The series is set in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ IHSA - Legends of Boys Basketball
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