Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) 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 who starred at

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

, where he had a standout career as a two-time All-American, winner of the 1989

John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

, the 1989

Adolph Rupp Trophy The Adolph F. Rupp Trophy was an award given annually to the top player in men's Division I NCAA basketball until 2015. The recipient of the award was selected by an independent panel consisting of national sportswriters, coaches, and sports admi ...

, the 1989

NABC Player of the Year The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball. The award has been given since the 1974–75 season to National Collegiate Athl ...

, 1989 AP Player of the Year, and two time Pac-12 Player of the Year (in 1988–1989). He was the third pick of the

1989 NBA draft The 1989 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1989, in New York City. Despite eight of the top ten picks being considered busts, including the first two picks Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry, the draft produced many talented players such as Shawn K ...

, was named to the

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 Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

NBA All-Rookie Second Team, was a two-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

, and earned an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

in 1999. His #32 is retired by both the

and the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

Early life

Elliott was born in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

as the youngest of three boys. He attended the G.A.T.E. (Gifted and Talented Education) program at Tolson Elementary School there, then played basketball at Cholla High School (now

Cholla High Magnet School Cholla High School (also known as Cholla High Magnet School) is a public high school, located on the West Side of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Cholla is a magnet high school (drawing students from the entire district) in the Tucson Unified Sch ...

) on the city's west side.

College

After graduating in 1985, he remained in Tucson to play college basketball at the

. Under the tutelage of

Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...

, Elliott was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He was selected as a consensus all-American during his junior and senior years, and led the Wildcats to the Final Four in his junior year (1988). Elliott broke Lew Alcindor's (

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

) all time Pac-10 career scoring record. After an exceptional senior season, Elliott won the

Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

. He is still the University of Arizona's all-time leading scorer. Sean Elliott - Arizona Wildcats

He played for the US national team in the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was held at the ...

, winning the gold medal.

NCAA career statistics

, - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, 32 , , ... , , 33.7 , , .486 , , ... , , .749 , , 5.3 , , 2.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 30 , , ... , , 34.9 , , .510 , , .371 , , .770 , , 6.0 , , 3.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 19.3 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 38 , , ... , , 32.9 , , .570 , , .471 , , .793 , , 5.8 , , 3.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 19.6 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , ... , , 34.1 , , .480 , , .504 , , .841 , , 7.2 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 22.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , ... , 133 , , ... , , 33.8 , , .512 , , .456 , , .793 , , 6.1 , , 3.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 19.2 , -

NBA career

San Antonio Spurs (1989–1993)

Elliott was drafted by the

as the third pick in the first round of the

. Elliot started in 69 of 81 games for the season and averaged 10 points a game. The Spurs made the playoffs where they swept the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

in the first round before falling to the eventual Western Conference Champion

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

in 7 games. In the following season, Elliott was moved to the permanent starting line-up and increased his scoring to 15.9 points a game. The Spurs won 55 games but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in four games. Elliott averaged 16.3 points per game during the 1991–92 season but San Antonio were swept in the first round by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. During the 1992–93 season, Elliott averaged 17.2 points per game, including a career-high 41 points against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

on December 18, 1992. He was named to play in the 1993 NBA All-Star Game alongside teammate

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

. In the playoffs, San Antonio defeated Portland 3 games to 1, before facing the number one seeded Suns in the conference semifinal. After losing the first two games in Phoenix, the Spurs responded with consecutive games at home, as Elliott scored 17 points in game 3 and 19 points in game 4. The Suns managed to wrap up the series in the next two games. Elliot averaged 15.8 points per game in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons (1993–1994)

Elliott spent the 1993–94 season with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

after being traded for

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding ...

in a multi-player deal. After Elliott struggled with the Pistons, the Pistons attempted to trade him to the eventual champion Houston Rockets in February 1994 in exchange for

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry (; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven championships, the most of any pla ...

Matt Bullard Matthew Gordon Bullard (born June 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA and former color analyst for the Houston Rockets on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Bullard played 12 years professionally and 11 years in the ...

and two second-round draft choices; the trade fell through when Elliott failed his physical. After the trade was voided, Elliott held a press conference and announced that he had a kidney problem. Elliott remained in Detroit for the rest of the season and averaged 12.1 points per game. Following the end of the season, he was traded back to the Spurs for the draft rights of

Bill Curley William Michael Curley (born May 29, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Emerson Lions men's basketball team. Curley has two brothers and one sister, with both brothers, Matty and Mic ...

Return to San Antonio Spurs (1994–1998)

In the 1994–1995 season, the Spurs won 62 games under the leadership of Elliott and the season's NBA Most Valuable Player Robinson. The Spurs clinched the top seed in the Western Conference, and swept the

in the first round before facing the young

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 ...

in the semifinals. Elliott scored 26 points – his high for the playoffs – in the series-clinching game against the Lakers. The Spurs lost to the Houston Rockets in the conference finals. The 1995–1996 season was a personal best for Elliott, as he averaged 20 points a game, a career high, in 77 games. Elliott also made a career-high 161 three-pointers on the season. He played in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game and scored 13 points. The following season, Elliott suffered injuries that limited him to 39 games. Injuries limited him again to just 36 games in the 1997–1998 season.

NBA championship, kidney transplant, and comeback (1998–2001)

The 1998–1999 season was shortened to 50 games as a result of a league lockout, but the Spurs won 37 of the games for the west's best record led by Duncan and Robinson, with Elliott starting in all 50 games with an average of 11.2 points a game. The Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers to face the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference finals. During game 2, the Trail Blazers held a 2-point lead with 9 seconds left to play in regulation. Elliott received a pass nearly stolen by Blazer

Stacey Augmon Stacey Orlando Augmon (born August 1, 1968) is an American basketball coach and former player. He serves as the player development coach of the Sacramento Kings. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He gained the ...

in the corner, before Elliott caught the ball within an inch of the sideline. He managed to stay on his tiptoes rather than planting his feet, before releasing a 21-foot three-point attempt just over the outstretched arms of 6 foot 11 forward

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

. The shot went in, giving the Spurs a 1-point lead and the eventual victory. The shot was named the " Memorial Day Miracle" because of its improbability and the date on which it was made. Elliott finished the game with 22 points. The Spurs made the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

and faced the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. The Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games to win their first NBA Championship. Elliott averaged 11.9 points in 17 games in the playoffs while shooting 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Shortly after the championship run, Elliott announced that he had a

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

known as

focal segmental glomerulosclerosis Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a histopathologic finding of scarring (sclerosis) of glomeruli and damage to renal podocytes.Rosenberg, Avi Z.; Kopp, Jeffrey B. (2017-03-07). "Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis". ''Clinical Journal o ...

, that his kidney function was worsening, and that he would require a transplant as soon as a matching donor became available. Elliott also disclosed that he had been aware of his kidney ailment since 1993. He underwent surgery on August 16, 1999, after he received a kidney from his older brother, Noel. Sean Elliott March 2000 (cropped)

On March 13, 2000, in a game against 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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

, Elliott became the first player to return to the NBA after a kidney transplant. He is also the first professional athlete to return to his sport after the kidney transplant. He played in only 19 games in the 1999–2000 season. Elliott started in 34 of 52 games in the 2000–2001 season; the Spurs held the best record in the league, but lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Retirement

Elliott announced his retirement in 2001. He finished his career averaging 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Elliott is the fifth all-time franchise leader in three-point field goals made (563) and fourth for three-point attempts (1,485).

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 81 , , 69 , , 25.1 , , .481 , , .111 , , .866 , , 3.7 , , 1.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.1 , , .490 , , .313 , , .808 , , 5.6 , , 2.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 15.9 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 38.0 , , .494 , , .305 , , .861 , , 5.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 16.3 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 70 , , 37.2 , , .491 , , .356 , , .798 , , 4.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 17.2 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 73 , , 73 , , 33.0 , , .455 , , .299 , , .803 , , 3.6 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 12.1 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 81 , , 35.3 , , .468 , , .408 , , .807 , , 3.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 18.1 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , 77 , , 37.7 , , .466 , , .411 , , .771 , , 5.1 , , 2.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 20.0 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

, 39 , , 39 , , 35.7 , , .422 , , .333 , , .755 , , 4.9 , , 3.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

, 36 , , 36 , , 28.1 , , .403 , , .378 , , .718 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1998–99† , align="left" ,

, 50 , , 50 , , 30.2 , , .410 , , .328 , , .757 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , 1999–2000 , align="left" ,

, 19 , , 19 , , 20.6 , , .358 , , .351 , , .781 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 34 , , 23.6 , , .434 , , .426 , , .714 , , 3.3 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 7.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 742 , , 712 , , 33.0 , , .465 , , .375 , , .800 , , 4.3 , , 2.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 14.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 18.5 , , .333 , , .333 , , .800 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 29.1 , , .552 , , .000 , , .724 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 33.0 , , .425 , , .000 , , .781 , , 5.5 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 14.8 , - , align="left" ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 45.7 , , .475 , , .625 , , .889 , , 4.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 19.7 , - , align="left" , 1993 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 38.1 , , .472 , , .214 , , .925 , , 4.8 , , 3.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 15.8 , - , align="left" ,

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, align="left" ,

, 15 , , 15 , , 38.3 , , .435 , , .364 , , .776 , , 4.8 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" , 1996 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 38.9 , , .402 , , .294 , , .797 , , 3.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1999† , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 17 , , 33.8 , , .444 , , .400 , , .763 , , 3.4 , , 2.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 29.8 , , .375 , , .385 , , .625 , , 5.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 19.9 , , .373 , , .364 , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 4.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 85 , , 73 , , 33.4 , , .445 , , .356 , , .801 , , 4.0 , , 2.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 13.2

Post-NBA

After retiring, Elliott became a basketball analyst for ''The

NBA on NBC The ''NBA on NBC'' is the branding used for presentations of National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by the NBC television network in the United States. NBC held broadcast rights from 1955 to 1962 and again from 1990 (when it obtai ...

'' and, during the 2003–2004 season, for

ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Televisi ...

and

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. He left that position for the 2004–2005 season and became the color commentator for the Spurs' local broadcasting. On January 5, 2013, he joined

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 replaced the motorsports network Speed on August 17, 2013, at the same time that its companion channel Fox Sports 2 ...

, calling his first college basketball game with the network. On March 6, 2005, his #32 was retired by the San Antonio Spurs and was hung in the rafters of the

AT&T Center AT&T Center is a list of indoor arenas, multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. The arena seats 18,418 for basketball, and ...

. His #32 is also retired by the University of Arizona.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Sean 1968 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people 1986 FIBA World Championship players African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players Basketball players from Tucson, Arizona Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Detroit Pistons players FIBA World Championship-winning players Kidney transplant recipients McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers San Antonio Spurs announcers San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Small forwards United States men's national basketball team players Universiade medalists in basketball Universiade silver medalists for the United States