LeRoy Ellis

LeRoy Ellis
Ellis in 1972
Personal information
Born(1940-03-10)March 10, 1940
Far Rockaway, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 2012(2012-06-02) (aged 72)
Scappoose, Oregon, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolThomas Jefferson
(Brooklyn, New York)
CollegeSt. John's (1959–1962)
NBA draft1962: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1962–1976
PositionCenter / power forward
Number25, 44, 23, 14,
Career history
1962–1966Los Angeles Lakers
1966–1970Baltimore Bullets
1970–1971Portland Trail Blazers
1971–1972Los Angeles Lakers
1972–1976Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points10,176 (9.7 ppg)
Rebounds8,709 (8.3 rpg)
Assists1,405 (1.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

LeRoy Ellis (March 10, 1940 – June 2, 2012) was an American basketball player.

Basketball career

A 6'11" center from St. 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 1962 Haggerty Award as the All-Metropolitan New York Division I men's college basketball player of the year.

Ellis was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (8th pick overall) of the 1962 NBA draft. He played in 1,048 games over 14 seasons (1962–1976) in the NBA with the Lakers, Baltimore Bullets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers, and was a member of the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers championship 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 8,709 rebounds.

Ellis was on the first Portland 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]

Personal life

Ellis and his family settled in Portland, Oregon, while he played professional basketball.[2] He later entered the tire industry during his retirement and moved to Southern California to operate a tire store in Orange County.[2] LeRoy Ellis was accompanied by his son, LeRon, and the two moved to the city of Anaheim, 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 play college basketball: his daughter Lisa played women's basketball for California State University, Long Beach and the University of Kentucky;[2] his eldest son LeRoy Jr. played NCAA Division I men's basketball for the University of the Pacific and was a member of the 1990 NCAA Division II National Champion Kentucky Wesleyan College;[2] and another son, LeRon, played at the University of Kentucky and Syracuse 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 of prostate cancer on June 2, 2012, at the age of 72.[3]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league

NBA

Source[8]

Regular season

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

Playoffs

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

References

  1. ^ Goldstein, Richard (June 3, 2012), "LeRoy Ellis, a Star Big Man at St. John's, Dies at 72", The New York Times
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kresal, Steve (March 12, 1986). "Ellis Adjusts to His Role in Mater Dei's Tradition". Los Angeles Times. p. OC B7. Retrieved May 21, 2008.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b Quick, Jason (June 2, 2012), "LeRoy Ellis, one of the original Trail Blazers, passes away Saturday at 72", The Oregonian
  4. ^ 1970–71 Portland Trail Blazers Roster and Stats
  5. ^ a b "Blazers Player History: Leroy Ellis". nba.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  6. ^ "The ups and downs of LeRoy Ellis". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  7. ^ "Jarrett Prevails at Talladega; Gordon 2nd". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1998. p. D3. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  8. ^ "Leroy Ellis NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 3, 2024.