Joel Craig Ehlo (; born August 11, 1961) is a retired American basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456
assist
Assist or ASSIST may refer to:
Sports
Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team:
*Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...
s and 3,139
rebounds.
Playing career
A
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
/
forward from
Odessa Junior College and
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
,
and led the Cougars to the
NCAA tournament in his
senior season.
Ehlo was selected in the third round of the
1983 NBA draft by the
Houston Rockets, and went with the Rockets to the
1986 NBA Finals
The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1985–86 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Confer ...
in a losing cause to the
Boston Celtics.
Ehlo spent the majority of his career with the
Cleveland Cavaliers, and was originally signed when
Mark Price
William Mark Price (born February 15, 1964) is an American former basketball player and coach. He was most recently the head coach of the Charlotte 49ers. As a player, he played for 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from ...
went down with an injury. With Cleveland, he tallied 5,130 points, 2,285 assists, and 2,267 rebounds in seven seasons (1987–1993). Ehlo is perhaps best remembered for being the victim of one of
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
star
Michael Jordan's greatest performances. On May 7, 1989, Ehlo was defending Jordan when he made "
The Shot
The Shot was a basketball play that occurred during a 1989 playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It took place on May 7, 1989 at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, ...
", the series-clinching jumper in the first round of the
NBA Playoffs in front of a Cleveland home crowd, then considered an upset as the Cavaliers were the third seed in the east and Chicago was the sixth. Ehlo's career high in points was 31, achieved three times: v. Michael Jordan,
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All ...
, and
Ron Harper
Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2001 and is a five-time NBA champion.
Early life
Harper was born ...
.
Ehlo spent the second half of his career with the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
as
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:
Academics
* Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager
* Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
's backup. Before the
1996–97 season, he signed with the
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
, but was used sparingly and did not play during the playoffs. He was waived by the SuperSonics in October that year before the start of the
1997–98 season.
Post retirement
Ehlo worked as an analyst on
Gonzaga men's basketball games for five seasons, then became an assistant coach for
Eastern Washington University in 2011.
He coached at EWU for two years, until resigning on July 11, 2013. Later that year, Ehlo underwent drug treatment owing to an addiction to prescription painkillers following back surgery.
In July 2019, Ehlo was hired as a color analyst on all
Washington State Cougars men's basketball
The Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) of NCAA Division I. The Cougars play their home games on campus in Pullman at Beasley Coliseum, which has a ...
home games during the 2019–20 season.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 7 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .407 , , , , 1.000 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 45 , , 0 , , 4.2 , , .493 , , .000 , , .633 , , .6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 36 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .429 , , .333 , , .793 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 44 , , 15 , , 20.2 , , .414 , , .172 , , .707 , , 3.7 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .7 , , 6.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 79 , , 27 , , 21.6 , , .466 , , .344 , , .674 , , 3.2 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 7.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 82 , , 4 , , 22.8 , , .475 , , .390 , , .607 , , 3.6 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 7.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 81 , , 64 , , 35.7 , , .464 , , .419 , , .681 , , 5.4 , , 4.6 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 13.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 82 , , 68 , , 33.7 , , .445 , , .329 , , .679 , , 4.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 10.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 63 , , 62 , , 32.0 , , .453 , , .413 , , .707 , , 4.9 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 12.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 82 , , 73 , , 31.2 , , .490 , , .381 , , .717 , , 4.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 11.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 82 , , 0 , , 26.2 , , .446 , , .348 , , .727 , , 3.4 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 10.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 49 , , 0 , , 23.8 , , .453 , , .381 , , .620 , , 3.0 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .1 , , 9.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 79 , , 8 , , 22.3 , , .428 , , .371 , , .786 , , 3.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 8.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, 62 , , 0 , , 13.7 , , .351 , , .284 , , .500 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 3.5
, -class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 873 , , 321 , , 24.1 , , .453 , , .369 , , .689 , , 3.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 8.6
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 3 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , , , 1.000 , , 5.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 10 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .500 , , .000 , , .800 , , .3 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 5 , , 1 , , 25.6 , , .425 , , .000 , , .625 , , 3.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 8.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 4 , , 1 , , 24.8 , , .436 , , .385 , , .818 , , 1.5 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 12.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 5 , , 5 , , 39.2 , , .419 , , .333 , , .632 , , 6.4 , , 6.4 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 13.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1992
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 17 , , 14 , , 32.5 , , .414 , , .412 , , .762 , , 4.5 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 9.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Cavaliers
, 9 , , 9 , , 32.1 , , .418 , , .385 , , .800 , , 3.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 10.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 11 , , 0 , , 28.8 , , .424 , , .348 , , .708 , , 2.7 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 11.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 3 , , 0 , , 16.3 , , .167 , , .167 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 3.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1996
, style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 9 , , 0 , , 19.0 , , .293 , , .304 , , .714 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 4.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 76 , , 30 , , 24.3 , , .409 , , .343 , , .734 , , 2.9 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 8.1
References
External links
*
Craig Ehlo biographyon NBA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehlo, Craig
1961 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball players from Texas
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Houston Rockets draft picks
Houston Rockets players
Mississippi Jets players
Odessa Wranglers men's basketball players
Seattle SuperSonics players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Lubbock, Texas
Washington State Cougars men's basketball players