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 Ellis in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1970-05-05)May 5, 1970 (age 55) East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lincoln (East St. Louis, Illinois) |
| College | Notre Dame (1988–1992) |
| NBA draft | 1992: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Denver Nuggets |
| Playing career | 1992–2003 |
| Position | Power forward /small forward |
| Number | 20, 3 |
| Career history | |
| 1992–1998 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1999–2000 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2000–2001 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2001–2003 | Miami Heat |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,410 (11.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,032 (6.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 981 (1.6 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
LaPhonso Darnell Ellis (born May 5, 1970) is an American former professionalbasketball player andcollege basketball analyst. He played for 11 years in theNational Basketball Association after starring atNotre Dame. He worked as a broadcaster forESPN from 2009 to 2023[1] and now works for theBig Ten Network andFox and FS1.
As a high school player, Ellis ledEast St. Louis Lincoln High School to Illinois Class AA boys' championships in 1987 and 1988. In the state title game in 1987, Ellis scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In the 1988 title game, he scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked nine shots.[2]
As a senior, in 1988, Ellis was named aParade All-American andMcDonald's High School All-American.
In 2007, Ellis was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament", recognizing his performance in the Illinois tournament.[3]
Heavily recruited out of high school, Ellis chose to attend theUniversity of Notre Dame.Digger Phelps was his head coach until replaced byJohn Macleod prior to Ellis's senior year.
During his four years in college, Notre Dame went 67–57. The team qualified for the NCAA tournament twice. As a senior captain, Ellis led the team in scoring (17.7 ppg), rebounding (11.7 rpg), field goal percentage (.631), and blocked shots (2.6 bpg). During that season, he led the team to the finals of the 1992NIT Tournament.[4]
Over the course of his college career, Ellis averaged 15.5 points per game (1,505 career points) and averaged 11.1 rebounds per game (1075 total). He set a school record with 200 career blocked shots, becoming the only Notre Dame player to ever lead the team in blocked shots four straight years.
Ellis graduated from Notre Dame on time with a degree in accounting.
Ellis was the fifth overall selection in the1992 NBA draft, picked by theDenver 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 theAtlanta Hawks. He spent two years with the Hawks before going to theMinnesota Timberwolves. In 2001, Ellis signed with theMiami Heat, where he retired after the2003 season. He played professionally in theNBA from 1992 until 2003.
During his 11 seasons and 625 games in the NBA, Ellis averaged 11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. His highest scoring season was 1996-97 when Ellis averaged 21.9 points. His best rebounding season was as a rookie when he averaged 9.1 rebounds per game.[5]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Denver | 82 | 82 | 33.5 | .504 | .154 | .748 | 9.1 | 1.8 | .9 | 1.4 | 14.7 |
| 1993–94 | Denver | 79 | 79 | 34.2 | .502 | .304 | .674 | 8.6 | 2.1 | .8 | 1.0 | 15.4 |
| 1994–95 | Denver | 6 | 0 | 9.7 | .360 | — | 1.000 | 2.8 | .7 | .2 | .8 | 4.0 |
| 1995–96 | Denver | 45 | 28 | 28.2 | .438 | .182 | .601 | 7.2 | 1.6 | .8 | .7 | 10.5 |
| 1996–97 | Denver | 55 | 49 | 36.4 | .439 | .367 | .773 | 7.0 | 2.4 | .8 | .7 | 21.9 |
| 1997–98 | Denver | 76 | 71 | 33.9 | .407 | .284 | .805 | 7.2 | 2.8 | .9 | .6 | 14.3 |
| 1998–99 | Atlanta | 20 | 20 | 27.0 | .421 | .200 | .705 | 5.5 | .9 | .4 | .4 | 10.2 |
| 1999–2000 | Atlanta | 58 | 8 | 22.6 | .450 | .143 | .695 | 5.0 | 1.0 | .6 | .4 | 8.4 |
| 2000–01 | Minnesota | 82 | 5 | 23.8 | .464 | .318 | .790 | 6.0 | 1.1 | .8 | .9 | 9.4 |
| 2001–02 | Miami | 66 | 14 | 25.5 | .418 | .306 | .631 | 4.3 | .8 | .5 | .6 | 7.1 |
| 2002–03 | Miami | 55 | 3 | 14.3 | .382 | .252 | .758 | 2.9 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 5.0 |
| Career | 624 | 359 | 28.2 | .452 | .302 | .730 | 6.5 | 1.6 | .7 | .8 | 11.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Denver | 12 | 12 | 36.3 | .479 | .500 | .704 | 8.1 | 2.2 | .8 | .9 | 14.8 |
| 2001 | Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 19.3 | .391 | .000 | .750 | 3.5 | .0 | .3 | .8 | 6.0 |
| Career | 16 | 12 | 32.1 | .467 | .429 | .710 | 6.9 | 1.6 | .6 | .9 | 12.6 | |
Ellis was a college basketball analyst forESPN from 2009 until June 2023. He now works for theBig Ten Network andFOX/FS1.
Prior to ESPN, he served as a radio commentator for Notre Dame men's basketball.
Ellis was mentioned multiple times on the Nickelodeon seriesThe 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.[citation needed]
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