 Ellis in 1972 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1940-03-10)March 10, 1940 Far Rockaway, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 2012(2012-06-02) (aged 72) Scappoose, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | St. John's (1959–1962) |
| NBA draft | 1962: 1st round, 6th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Playing career | 1962–1976 |
| Position | Center /power forward |
| Number | 25, 44, 23, 14, |
| Career history | |
| 1962–1966 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1966–1970 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1970–1971 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1971–1972 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1972–1976 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 10,176 (9.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 8,709 (8.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,405 (1.3 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
LeRoy Ellis (March 10, 1940 – June 2, 2012) was an Americanbasketball player.
A 6'11"center fromSt. John's University, Ellis set the St. John's records for highest rebounding average in a season (16.5) and most rebounds in one game with 30.[1] In his senior year, he received the 1962Haggerty Award as the All-Metropolitan New York Division I men's college basketball player of the year.
Ellis was selected by theLos Angeles Lakers in the first round (8th pick overall) of the1962 NBA draft. He played in 1,048 games over 14 seasons (1962–1976) in theNBA with the Lakers,Baltimore Bullets,Portland Trail Blazers, andPhiladelphia 76ers, and was a member of the1971–72Los Angeles Lakerschampionship team,[2] which also won a then-record 69 games in the regular season, and recorded the longest winning streak in NBA history with 33 wins. The following season, Ellis was traded to the 76ers, who had an NBA-worst 73 losses in an 82-game season.[3] At the close of his NBA career 1976, Ellis had amassed career totals of 10,176 points and 8,709rebounds.
Ellis was on the firstPortland Trail Blazers team in 1970–71, selected from Baltimore in the 1970 expansion draft. He was in the starting lineup for the Trail Blazers' inaugural game. He was their third leading scorer (15.9 points per game)[4] and the leading rebounder, averaging 12.3 per game, the third-best average in the Blazers’ first three decades.[5]He continued playing basketball long after his professional career ended, including being a part of several Senior Masters Games national championship teams in Portland.[5]
Ellis and his family settled inPortland, Oregon, while he played professional basketball.[2] He later entered thetire industry during his retirement and moved toSouthern California to operate a tire store inOrange County.[2] LeRoy Ellis was accompanied by his son,LeRon, and the two moved to the city ofAnaheim, California while waiting for the rest of their family to join them at a later time.[2] Ellis and his wife eventually returned to Portland.[6]
Three of Ellis' children have gone on to playcollege basketball: his daughter Lisa playedwomen's basketball forCalifornia State University, Long Beach and theUniversity of Kentucky;[2] his eldest son LeRoy Jr. playedNCAA Division I men's basketball for theUniversity of the Pacific and was a member of the 1990 NCAA Division II National ChampionKentucky Wesleyan College;[2] and another son,LeRon, played at theUniversity of Kentucky andSyracuse University before playing two and a half seasons in the NBA. LeRoy Ellis' youngest son, Lee Christopher Ellis, was shot to death on a Los Angeles street in 1998 at age 19.[7]
Ellis died ofprostate cancer on June 2, 2012, at the age of 72.[3]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
Source[8]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | L.A. Lakers | 80* | 20.4 | .419 | .658 | 6.5 | .6 | 7.2 | |||
| 1963–64 | L.A. Lakers | 78 | 18.7 | .423 | .659 | 6.4 | .5 | 6.6 | |||
| 1964–65 | L.A. Lakers | 80* | 25.3 | .444 | .697 | 8.2 | .6 | 10.3 | |||
| 1965–66 | L.A. Lakers | 80* | 27.7 | .424 | .727 | 9.2 | .9 | 12.2 | |||
| 1966–67 | Baltimore | 81* | 36.3 | .425 | .738 | 12.0 | 2.1 | 14.9 | |||
| 1967–68 | Baltimore | 78 | 34.9 | .475 | .724 | 11.1 | 2.0 | 12.4 | |||
| 1968–69 | Baltimore | 80 | 20.0 | .435 | .755 | 6.4 | .9 | 7.2 | |||
| 1969–70 | Baltimore | 72 | 16.2 | .469 | .741 | 5.2 | .7 | 6.6 | |||
| 1970–71 | Portland | 74 | 34.9 | .443 | .801 | 12.3 | 3.2 | 15.9 | |||
| 1971–72† | L.A. Lakers | 74 | 14.6 | .460 | .695 | 4.2 | .6 | 4.6 | |||
| 1972–73 | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 15.6 | .275 | .800 | 3.3 | .3 | 2.6 | |||
| 1972–73 | Philadelphia | 69 | 69 | 35.4 | .441 | .801 | 10.8 | 2.0 | 13.7 | ||
| 1973–74 | Philadelphia | 81 | 81 | 35.0 | .452 | .750 | 11.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 9.9 |
| 1974–75 | Philadelphia | 82 | 69 | 22.6 | .461 | .727 | 7.1 | 1.4 | .5 | .7 | 7.9 |
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia | 29 | 13 | 16.9 | .462 | .607 | 4.2 | .7 | .6 | .3 | 4.8 |
| Career | 1,048 | 163 | 26.3 | .442 | .728 | 8.3 | 1.3 | .8 | .8 | 9.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | L.A. Lakers | 13* | 23.2 | .509 | .818 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 6.2 | ||
| 1964 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 28.8 | .296 | .733 | 10.0 | .8 | 5.4 | ||
| 1965 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | 36.8 | .393 | .677 | 12.1 | .6 | 14.4 | ||
| 1966 | L.A. Lakers | 14 | 30.4 | .406 | .641 | 9.5 | .6 | 9.8 | ||
| 1969 | Baltimore | 4 | 16.8 | .500 | .600 | 4.5 | .4 | 4.8 | ||
| 1970 | Baltimore | 3 | 2.7 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | .7 | ||
| 1972† | L.A. Lakers | 13 | 10.3 | .463 | .250 | 3.2 | .8 | 3.0 | ||
| 1976 | Philadelphia | 1 | 1.0 | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 64 | 23.2 | .413 | .693 | 7.2 | .7 | .0 | .0 | 7.2 | |
· Basketball Reference