LeRon Perry Ellis (born April 28, 1969) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Southern California prep school squad
Mater Dei.
Ellis was drafted into the
NBA
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 ...
after a mixed
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
performance at the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
and
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
. He suffered several unsuccessful stints in the NBA over three non-consecutive seasons but spent the majority of his professional basketball career playing overseas.
Early life
LeRon Ellis was born to
LeRoy Sr. and Lucille Ellis in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Ellis is from an athletic family: his father, LeRoy Ellis, is a 14-year NBA veteran and member of the
1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
championship team,
his elder sister Lisa Ellis played
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...
for
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...
and the University of Kentucky and his elder brother LeRoy Jr. played
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
men's basketball for the
University of the Pacific.
LeRoy Ellis traversed the country with the NBA during the first eight years of LeRon's life. The Ellises eventually relocated to
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
after LeRoy Sr. retired from basketball.
In Portland LeRon Ellis attended
Parkrose High School
Parkrose High School is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is the only high school in the Parkrose School District.
Academics
In 2008, 72% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 231 students, 167 gradua ...
for his freshman and sophomore years. The young student excelled in athletics, playing both basketball and
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
for his school.
In 1985 LeRoy
moved to Southern California to operate a tire store in
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
. LeRon decided to join his father even though the rest of the family were planning to move at a later time.
The two settled in the city of
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
and LeRon Ellis transferred to
Mater Dei High School, a nearby
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
school with a reputable athletics program.
Ellis completed the rest of high school at Mater Dei and enrolled at the University of Kentucky on a basketball
scholarship
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.
Scholarsh ...
.
High school career
LeRon Ellis began his athletic accomplishments at an early age. He helped lead the Parkrose High School boys' basketball team to the
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
state semi-finals during his freshman year.
Ellis was also selected as part of the 1984 Oregon Boys' High School Water Polo All-Tourney Second Team and his school's water polo team placed third in the Oregon state water polo championship tournament.
LeRon Ellis left behind his feats in Portland after two years with Parkrose High for a new start in Southern California. Ellis moved back to California with his father and the two settled in Orange County, where he caught the eye of Gary McKnight, the boys' basketball coach for the nearby Mater Dei High School.
Ellis excelled with the
Mater Dei Monarchs and soon became one of the team's cornerstone players in the
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
position. He demonstrated both dominant offensive and defensive performances on the court, excellent
shot blocking skills and was noted for being considerably quick and agile for his age.
The Mater Dei Monarchs posted another impressive record of 30–1 during the 1985–86 season and established a 59-game winning streak (second-longest in CIF history) over the past two seasons.
Their spectacular season was followed by another CIF Southern Section 5-A tournament title in March 1986, making the Monarchs back to back champions. LeRon Ellis scored a then career-high of 30 points in the tournament, was named the tournament's MVP and was selected as the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
' Player of the Week.
However Mater Dei fell short in a close overtime game to
Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls arou ...
in the CIF Division I state final game later that month.
During the 1986 summer off-season Ellis received a number of recruitment offers from the nation's top
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
basketball programs.
Ellis eventually narrowed his choices down to
St. John's,
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
, the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
and the University of Kentucky.
Former Laker player and coach
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
helped persuade Ellis to attend Kentucky onbehalf of Wildcat's coach
Eddie Sutton
Edward Eugene Sutton (March 12, 1936 – May 23, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State) and was a head coach at the high school, junio ...
.
On September 15, 1986, LeRon Ellis announced he would sign with Kentucky.
Ellis was rated as one of the top 20 high school basketball players in the nation and was the star player for the number two ranked boys' high school basketball team at the start of his senior year.
LeRon Ellis began the season helping his team make it to the 1986 King Cotton Tournament finals.
The Monarchs went on to play what would become one of their most fabled basketball seasons in the school's history. Ellis and company replicated their previous 30–1 record during the 19867–87 season and bagged their third straight CIF Southern Section 5-A title.
Mater Dei preceded to the state CIF State Championship tournament, ousting the top-ranked
Fairfax High School in the semi-finals. The Monarchs completed their memorable season in style by defeating
Ygnacio Valley High School
Ygnacio Valley High School (YVHS) is a public secondary school located in Concord, California, United States. It draws students from Concord as well as from the neighboring communities of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. The school opened in 1962, a ...
in the finals and clinching the school's first CIF Division I state title. LeRon Ellis won a series of prestigious awards that season while averaging 22.5 points, 8.3
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
, and a 54%
field goal shooting percentage.
By the end of the season LeRon Ellis was considered to be one of the country's top high school basketball players and the Mater Dei basketball team was ranked number one in the nation by
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
.
LeRon Ellis also displayed outstanding athletic skills off the basketball court while at Mater Dei. He returned to water polo during his senior year and led the team in scoring.
Ellis was also a member of the Mater Dei
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
team and participated in the
high jump
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
and
triple jump
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...
, where his 46–9.5 mark in the latter was placed in the top 25 all-time Orange County boys' track & field triple jump record.
LeRon Ellis was even involved in several non-athletic school activities, including participating in several
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
productions with the Mater Dei
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
club and winning first prize in the school's bake-off.
College career
University of Kentucky
Ellis spent the summer of 1987 playing in the U.S. Olympic Festival basketball games for the West team before entering the NCAA.
At Kentucky he was a highly regarded incoming freshman that Wildcats head coach
Eddie Sutton
Edward Eugene Sutton (March 12, 1936 – May 23, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State) and was a head coach at the high school, junio ...
considered to be the next
Sam Bowie
Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...
. LeRon Ellis played a secondary role, mostly coming off the bench, behind center Robert Lock and
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
Winston Bennett during his freshman season. However Ellis did manage to break into the starting lineup several times, making his debut as a starter on January 31, 1988 against
Notre Dame where he enjoyed a then-career high of 14 points and five steals. LeRon Ellis averaged 4.3 points per game and 13.8 minutes per game, while starting in 12 of 28 games during the 1987–88 season.
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n and All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC) basketball star
Rex Chapman
Rex Everett Chapman (born October 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and social media influencer. Chapman was a high school phenom in Kentucky, winning numerous awards for his play. In two seasons at the University of ...
led Kentucky that season to their 37th SEC title with a 27–6 record.
The Wildcats were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
and
UPI
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
and secured the number two Southeast Conference seed in the
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Kentucky's talents led the team to the tournament's Sweet Sixteen, where they suffered a defeat against
Villanova.
LeRon Ellis made local headlines at the start of his sophomore year when he became the first
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
inducted into the University of Kentucky's
Kappa Alpha fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
. Ellis was also the center of attention on the court as many of Kentucky's high-profile basketball players were unable to play in the 1988–89 season. Offensive and defensive stars
Ed Davender
Ed Davender (May 26, 1966 – April 28, 2016) was an American basketball player. He was a noted streetballer, and considered to be among the best New York shooting guards throughout his high school career. Initially Davender played at Alexand ...
, Robert Lock and Winston Bennett graduated from school; the Wildcats' MVP Rex Chapman left school early to enter the
1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...
; sophomore standout
Eric Manuel was suspended for the entire season from playing basketball and potential franchise recruit
Shawn Kemp Shawn may refer to:
*Shawn (given name)
*Shawn (surname)
See also
* Sean
* Shaun Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne.
Notable persons with the given name include:
Peop ...
was transferred out of the university before the start of the season.
Kentucky's basketball program was essentially put into the hands of the inexperienced sophomore LeRon Ellis and freshman
Chris Mills. The two underclassmen struggled to fill the talent vacuum on the court and even prior to the season many had predicted rough times ahead for the Wildcats' 1988–89 season.
Ellis led Kentucky in points that season while starting in the power forward and center positions. The talented sophomore would experience his best offensive season in his entire collegiate career, averaging a career high of 16 points per game and a 51.9% field goal percentage, including noteworthy defensive numbers with 5.5 rebounds per game as well as 1.1 blocks per game.
Ellis' best single game outing (and arguably the highlight of his Kentucky tenure) was his performance against
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
where he set a career-high as a Wildcat with 37 points in one game while netting 14 of 17 field goals
The feat placed him in the record books then as the second most points scored by a Kentucky sophomore in a single game.
The Wildcats' star was honored for his outstanding performance at the University of Kentucky's annual awards banquet where he received the "Most Points" and "Most Sacrifice" awards. However Ellis was not without his own shortcomings, being considered inconsistent on offense and weak on defense.
In the end, Ellis was unable to lift Kentucky out of their battered season that was marred by poor performances on the court and an ongoing NCAA investigation into the school's basketball program off the court. The Wildcats finished with a losing record of 13–19; as of 2017, this remains the school's only losing season since 1927.
To add injury to insult, the NCAA announced at the end of the season that its investigation into the University of Kentucky's basketball program had found the school responsible of violating NCAA recruitment policies.
Consequently, the Wildcats were reprimanded with a three-year probation and LeRon Ellis shortly thereafter announced that he would no longer be attending Kentucky.
Ellis again was courted by some of the nation's top college basketball programs upon making his announcement. He traveled across the country visiting
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and Syracuse University during the 1989 summer. Ellis was keenly interested in transferring to UNLV but had a sudden change of heart after discovering that their basketball program was under NCAA investigation and could possibly face sanctions similar to the University of Kentucky.
Though unaware at the time, LeRon Ellis could have potentially been a member of the 1990
UNLV Runnin' Rebels
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are the men's basketball team that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the Mountain West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it plays at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. As ...
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
team had he decided to enroll at UNLV in 1989. LeRon Ellis eventually announced on July 17, 1989 that he would transfer to Syracuse.
Ellis was allowed to play in the upcoming 1989–90 season and would not have to sit out a season as a redshirt transfer because the University of Kentucky was placed on probation.
Professional basketball career
LeRon Ellis played his final two college seasons at Syracuse University. He was selected 22nd overall in the
1991 NBA Draft by the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
and went on to play three
NBA
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 ...
seasons for the Clippers,
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
and
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
. His best year as a pro came during the
1993–94 season as a member of the Hornets, when he appeared in 50 games and averaged 4.4 ppg.
Awards and achievements
*CIF Southern Section 5-A Tournament MVP (1986)
*Los Angeles Times Player of the Week (March 10–16, 1986)
*Cal-Hi Sports All-State Basketball Team (1986)
*Street & Smith's Preseason All-American Second Team (1986)
*King Cotton All-Tournament Team (1987)
*Angelus League MVP (1987)
*Dapper Dan
Roundball Classic The Roundball Classic, originally known as The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic (also known as ''Magic Johnson's Roundball'', ''Sonny Vaccaro's Roundball Classic'', ''EA Sports Roundball Classic'', '' Asics Roundball Classic'') is well known in the spor ...
: U.S. West (1987)
*CIF Southern Section 5-A Player of the Year (1987)
*
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
: Pacific Region (1987)
*Los Angeles Times' All-County Basketball Team (1987)
*
Orange County Register's All-County Team (1987)
*Circle of Champions Pacific Regional Player of the Year (1987)
*Hoop Scoop Senior Class of 1987 First Team
*Los Angeles Times' Player of the Year (1987)
*Basketball Weekly All-American Third Team (1987)
*USA Today's All-USA High School Basketball Team (1987)
*
Parade Magazine
''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...
All-American First Team (1987)
*
McDonald's Derby Festival Classic
The Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic was an annual American all-star game featuring high school basketball players. Started in 1973, it was part of the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, leading up to the Kentucky Derby h ...
(1987)
*Cal-Hi Player of the Year (1987)
*Orange County Athletic Directors Association Athlete of the Year (1987)
*
Amateur Athletic Foundation Top Prep Boy's Athlete (1987)
*U.S. Olympic Festival West Team (1987)
*
R. William Jones Cup U.S. Team (1988)
*The United Press International All-SEC Second Team (1989)
References
External links
LeRon Ellis statistics ''databasebasketball.com''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Leron
1969 births
Living people
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Argentina
American expatriate basketball people in China
American expatriate basketball people in Japan
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Anaheim, California
Basketball players from Los Angeles
CB Valladolid players
Centers (basketball)
Charlotte Hornets players
Columbus Horizon players
FC Barcelona Bàsquet players
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players
Liga ACB players
Los Angeles Clippers draft picks
Los Angeles Clippers players
Miami Heat players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Parkrose High School alumni
Power forwards (basketball)
Quad City Thunder players
Syracuse Orange men's basketball players
United States Basketball League players