LaPhonso Ellis
LaPhonso Ellis in 2020
Personal information
Born (1970-05-05) May 5, 1970
East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.
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: 1st round, 5th overall pick
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  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

LaPhonso Darnell Ellis (born May 5, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and college basketball analyst. He previously worked for ESPN before being let go by the company in June 2023.[1] Ellis played 11 years in the NBA after starring at Notre Dame.

Early career

As a high school player, Ellis led East 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 9 shots. [2]

As a senior, 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 performance in the Illinois tournament.[3]

College career

Heavily recruited out of high school, Ellis chose to attend the University of Notre Dame. Digger Phelps was his head coach until replaced by John 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 1992 NIT 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.

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.

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]

Career statistics

Legend
  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

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1992–93 Denver 828233.5.504.154.7489.11.8.91.414.7
1993–94 Denver 797934.2.502.304.6748.62.1.81.015.4
1994–95 Denver 609.7.360—1.0002.8.7.2.84.0
1995–96 Denver 452828.2.438.182.6017.21.6.8.710.5
1996–97 Denver 554936.4.439.367.7737.02.4.8.721.9
1997–98 Denver 767133.9.407.284.8057.22.8.9.614.3
1998–99 Atlanta 202027.0.421.200.7055.5.9.4.410.2
1999–2000 Atlanta 58822.6.450.143.6955.01.0.6.48.4
2000–01 Minnesota 82523.8.464.318.7906.01.1.8.99.4
2001–02 Miami 661425.5.418.306.6314.3.8.5.67.1
2002–03 Miami 55314.3.382.252.7582.9.3.3.35.0
Career 62435928.2.452.302.7306.51.6.7.811.9

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1994 Denver 121236.3.479.500.7048.12.2.8.914.8
2001 Minnesota 4019.3.391.000.7503.5.0.3.86.0
Career 161232.1.467.429.7106.91.6.6.912.6

Broadcasting career

Ellis was a college basketball analyst for ESPN from 2009 until he was let go in June of 2023. He now works for Big Ten Network and FOX/FS1.

Prior to ESPN, he served as a radio commentator for Notre Dame men’s basketball.

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.

References

  1. ↑ Tapp, Tom (June 30, 2023). "ESPN Layoffs: Here's The List Of On-Air Talent Who Were Let Go". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  2. ↑ "LaPhonso Ellis: 5 things to know about the ESPN broadcaster, NBA and Notre Dame star".
  3. ↑ IHSA – Legends of Boys Basketball
  4. ↑ "LaPhonso Ellis: 5 things to know about the ESPN broadcaster, NBA and Notre Dame star".
  5. ↑ "LaPhonso Ellis: 5 things to know about the ESPN broadcaster, NBA and Notre Dame star".
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