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Monta Jerome Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American and first-team Parade All-American. He entered the NBA directly out of high school, being drafted with the 40th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2005 NBA draft. In 2007, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player. During his career Ellis was one of the best scorers in the league, averaging close to 25 points per game on two occasions.
After six and a half seasons with Golden State, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in March 2012; a season and a half with the Bucks was followed by two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and finally, two seasons with the Indiana Pacers.
Ellis originally committed to Mississippi State University, but later decided to enter the NBA draft.
Ellis averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 2006β07, helping the Warriors return to the playoffs after a 12-year absence. Ellis increased his scoring by 9.7 points from his rookie season, the largest increase in the NBA. Starting 53 of the 77 games he appeared in, Ellis reached double figures in scoring 68 times, including 24 games of 20 or more points. He scored a season-high 31 points three times, twice in November and once in March. On February 24, Ellis recorded a career-high 13 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers. He recorded three or more steals 20 times and had at least five steals three times, including a career-high six against the Seattle SuperSonics on March 17, 2007. He was subsequently named the NBA Most Improved Player. In May, he helped the Warriors defeat the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round of the playoffs, becoming the first No. 8 seed to capture a best-of-seven playoff series. The Warriors went on to lose in five games to the Utah Jazz in the second round. Ellis averaged a career-high 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.53 steals in 37.9 minutes in 81 games during the 2007β08 season. He ranked 14th in the NBA in field goal percentage (.531, 3rd among all guards), 15th in steals and 25th in scoring. He became only the ninth guard in NBA history to shoot 60% from the floor for an entire month in February (.602). He scored a career-high 39 points on January 24 against the New Jersey Nets and scored 30-plus points on 12 occasions overall.
On July 24, 2008, Ellis re-signed with the Warriors to a six-year, $66 million contract. However, in August, he was sidelined for three-plus months after suffering a Grade 3 high ankle sprain, a torn deltoid ligament and a syndesmosis disruption of his left ankle that required surgery. The injuries occurred in a motorized scooter accident, but his mistake was compounded by telling the Warriors he hurt himself playing pickup ball in his native Mississippi, only coming clean about the accident several days later. As a result, he was suspended by the Warriors for 30 games without payβthe approximate number of games he was expected to miss with the injury anyway.
Ellis made his season debut on January 23, 2009, scoring 20 points in a 106β105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On March 11 against the New Jersey Nets, Ellis returned to the line-up after missing seven games to attend to a family emergency. On April 1, he scored a career-high 42 points to go with nine rebounds and nine assists in a 143β141 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. After jamming his left ankle late in overtime, Ellis missed the final seven games of the season to finish with a total of 57 missed games in 2008β09. In 25 games, he averaged 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
On November 25, 2009, Ellis scored 42 points in a 118β104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On November 30, he scored a career-high 45 points in a 126β107 win over the Indiana Pacers. On February 3, he set a new career high with 46 points in a 110β101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Between late February and early March, Ellis missed six straight games with a back injury. Then between late March and early April, he missed seven straight games with the flu. Ellis solidified himself as one of the top guards in the NBA and in the process emerged as the team's true leader. His career-best 25.5 points per game was second among Western Conference guards and sixth overall in the NBA and he also ranked among the NBA leaders in steals (2nd, 2.23 spg) and minutes played (1st, 41.4 mpg). In the Warriors' season opener on October 27, 2010, Ellis matched his career high with 46 points in a 132β128 win over the Houston Rockets, setting the third-best total by a Warriors player in a season opener. Only Wilt Chamberlain, who had 48 points in 1961 and 56 points in 1962, had more. On December 27, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, December 20, through Sunday, December 26. On March 4, 2011, he scored 28 of his 41 points in the second half of the Warriors' 107β103 loss to the Boston Celtics. The 2010β11 season saw Ellis and Stephen Curry become one of the most lethal duos in the NBA. For the season, he ranked eighth in scoring (24.1 ppg), first in minutes (40.3 mpg) and third in steals (2.10 spg). Many around the league thought that Ellis was deserving of being an NBA All-Star.
On February 7, he scored a career-high 48 points in a 119β116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On March 12, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 5, through Sunday, March 11. It was his second career player of the week honor.
The 2012β13 season saw Ellis start in all 82 games for the Bucks. On December 22, he scored 37 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On December 31, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, December 24, through Sunday, December 30. On March 4, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 25, through Sunday, March 3. On March 17, he scored a season-high 39 points against the Orlando Magic. On April 12, Ellis led Milwaukee with 27 points and a career-high 17 assists in a 109β104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On April 15, he scored 38 points against the Denver Nuggets. In his first playoff appearance since 2007 with Golden State, the Bucks were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round. Ellis averaged 19.2 points in 2012β13 but had the lowest 3-point shooting percentage among eligible players at 28.7 percent.
On December 2, 2014, Ellis scored 38 points in a 132β129 double-overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. On December 20, Ellis equaled his season high with 38 points, including 11 during the final four minutes, as the Mavericks rallied late to beat the Spurs 99β93. On March 24, 2015, he matched his season high with 38 points in a 101β94 win over the Spurs. For the regular season, Ellis averaged 18.9 points to become the first player other than Dirk Nowitzki to lead the Mavericks in scoring since 1999β2000. In the Mavericks' five-game first-round playoff series loss to the Rockets, Ellis averaged 26.0 points per game, including scoring a playoff career-high 34 points in a 130β128 loss in game three and 31 points in a 121β109 win in game four.
On June 24, 2015, Ellis decided not to pick up the option for the final year of his contract with the Mavericks, thus becoming a free agent. He underwent surgery on his right knee before the start of free agency, with the procedure described as "minor".
In the Pacers' season opener on October 26, 2016, Ellis recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 130β121 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. He failed to surpass that scoring mark for the rest of the season, scoring 19 points twice in November and again in March. On December 10, he injured his groin in the first half of the Pacers' comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He subsequently missed the next eight games with a strained right groin. Upon returning from injury, he lost his starting spot to Glenn Robinson III. In 74 games, he made 33 starts and averaged 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.0 minutes per game.
On July 6, 2017, Ellis was waived by the Pacers. He was paid by the Pacers through the 2021β22 season., Forbes Magazine, August 28, 2019
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