Dale Ellis

Dale Ellis

No. 14, 3, 9, 2
Shooting guard / Small forward
Personal information
Date of birth	August 10, 1960 (1960-08-10) (age 51)
Place of birth	Marietta, Georgia
Nationality	American
High school	Marietta
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	Tennessee (1979–1983)
NBA Draft	1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Pro career	1983–2000
Career history
1983–1986	Dallas Mavericks
1986–1991	Seattle SuperSonics
1991–1992	Milwaukee Bucks
1992–1994	San Antonio Spurs
1994–1997	Denver Nuggets
1997–1999	Seattle SuperSonics
1999–2000	Milwaukee Bucks
2000	Charlotte Hornets
Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Improved Player (1987) NBA All-Star (1989) All-NBA 3rd team (1989) NBA Three-Point Shootout Champion (1989) 2× SEC Player of the Year (1982–1983) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1983) Consensus NCAA All-American Second Team (1982)
Career NBA statistics
Points	19,004
Rebounds	4,201
3P%	.403
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Dale Ellis (born August 6, 1960 in Marietta, Georgia) is a retired American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association.

After his time at the University of Tennessee, Ellis was selected ninth overall in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. His time as a shooting guard with the Mavericks was rather unremarkable as he played scant minutes and was often relegated to sitting on the bench.

Ellis' fortunes changed dramatically after he found himself traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Al Wood on July 23, 1986. His playing time increased significantly, and his regular season scoring average reflected this as it jumped from 7.1 points per game with the Mavericks to 24.9 points per game with the SuperSonics. Ellis' rise with the SuperSonics was recognized around the league, which awarded him the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1987.

Ellis continued to star for the SuperSonics in the late 1980s, with his scoring average topping out at 27.5 point per game during the 1988-89 season. The 2,253 points he scored that season broke Spencer Haywood's franchise record of 2,251 and remained the SuperSonics/Thunder record until Kevin Durant broke it in 2009-10. Ellis was selected to the NBA All-Star Game during the same season, and scored 27 points for the West. In all, Ellis spent four and a half seasons with the SuperSonics before once again being traded, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks for Ricky Pierce.

While he was again a bench player with the Bucks, his minutes still remained relatively high and Ellis still made large contributions to the team with his scoring ability. Following the conclusion of the 91-92 season, he found himself traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Tracy Murray. As a member of the Spurs, Ellis once again found himself in the starting lineup playing slightly more minutes than he did as a Buck. Although his production largely remained the same, he was doing it much more efficiently, shooting nearly 50% from the field as opposed to 46% with Milwaukee.

After signing with the Denver Nuggets, and then later in his career traded to the SuperSonics once again, the Orlando Magic (for whom he never played), again to the Bucks, and the Charlotte Hornets, he saw a more reduced playing role. The Hornets traded him to the Miami Heat after 1999–2000 season;^[1] but was waived prior to the start of the next season.^[2]

All in all, Ellis played in 1,209 games and had career averages of 15.7 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, a .479 field goal percentage, and a .403 three point field goal percentage. He is fifth all-time in three-point shots made with 1,719, and is 21st all-time in three point field goal percentage. He holds the NBA record for most minutes played in a single game, when he scored 53 points in 69 minutes (out of a possible 73) for the SuperSonics in a 155-154 loss to the Bucks in five overtimes on November 9, 1989.

Ellis is remembered for his accurate 'catch and shoot' rhythm coming off the low post and baseline screens.

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
• List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career 3-point scoring leaders

Notes

1. ^ NBA.com: Dale Ellis Player Info
2. ^ Heat History - Key Dates and Transactions: 2000

Persondata
Name	Ellis, Dale
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 6, 1960
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death