LeRoy Ellis

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

LeRoy Ellis

Ellis in 1972
Personal information
Born	(1940-03-10)March 10, 1940 Far Rockaway, New York, U.S.
Died	June 2, 2012(2012-06-02) (aged 72) Scappoose, Oregon, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, New York)
College	St. John's (1959–1962)
NBA draft	1962: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career	1962–1976
Position	Center / power forward
Number	25, 44, 23, 14,
Career history
1962–1966	Los Angeles Lakers
1966–1970	Baltimore Bullets
1970–1971	Portland Trail Blazers
1971–1972	Los Angeles Lakers
1972–1976	Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (1972) Haggerty Award (1962)
Career statistics
Points	10,176 (9.7 ppg)
Rebounds	8,709 (8.3 rpg)
Assists	1,405 (1.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

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. 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. 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. "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.

External links

• Career stats