kids encyclopedia robot

Dale Ellis facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Dale Ellis
Personal information
Born (1960-08-06) August 6, 1960 (age 64)
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
High school Marietta (Marietta, Georgia)
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College Tennessee (1979–1983)
NBA Draft 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Pro career 1983–2000
Career history
1983–1986 Dallas Mavericks
1986–1991 Seattle SuperSonics
1991–1992 Milwaukee Bucks
1992–1994 San Antonio Spurs
1994–1997 Denver Nuggets
1997–1999 Seattle SuperSonics
1999–2000 Milwaukee Bucks
2000 Charlotte Hornets
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA All-Star (1989)
  • All-NBA Third Team (1989)
  • NBA Most Improved Player (1987)
  • NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1989)
  • Consensus first-team All-American (1983)
  • Consensus second-team All-American (1982)
  • 2× SEC Player of the Year (1982, 1983)
  • No. 14 retired by Tennessee Volunteers
  • Fourth-team Parade All-American (1979)
Career NBA statistics
Points 19,004 (15.7 ppg)
Rebounds 4,201 (3.5 rpg)
Assists 1,746 (1.4 apg)

Dale Ellis (born August 6, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for many years. Dale Ellis was known for his amazing three-point shots. For a while, he held the record for the most three-point shots made in NBA history. When he retired, his 1,719 three-pointers were the second-highest ever. As of January 2025, he still ranks among the top 35 players for career three-pointers. He played in 1,209 games, averaging 15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

Dale Ellis's Basketball Journey

Starting His NBA Career

After playing college basketball at the University of Tennessee, Dale Ellis was picked ninth overall in the 1983 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks. During his time with the Mavericks, he didn't play much and often sat on the bench.

Becoming a Star in Seattle

Dale Ellis's career changed a lot when he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in July 1986. He started playing much more, and his scoring went way up! With the Mavericks, he averaged 7.1 points per game. But with the SuperSonics, that jumped to 24.9 points per game. In his first game for Seattle, he scored 23 points. Because of his big improvement, he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1987.

Ellis continued to be a star for the SuperSonics in the late 1980s. He even became the first NBA player to make two four-point plays in one game in 1988. His best scoring season was 1988–89, when he averaged 27.5 points per game. That season, he scored a career-high 49 points in one game. He also broke a team record for most points scored in a single season. In 1989, he was chosen to play in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, where he scored 27 points for the West team.

Later Career and Records

After four and a half seasons with the SuperSonics, Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He didn't start as much with the Bucks, but he still scored a lot of points for the team. Later, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. With the Spurs, he became a starter again and played very efficiently, shooting almost 50% from the field.

Towards the end of his career, Ellis played for several other teams, including the Denver Nuggets, the SuperSonics again, the Bucks again, and the Charlotte Hornets. His playing time became less as he got older. He retired from basketball after the 1999–2000 season.

Dale Ellis holds an impressive NBA record for playing the most minutes in a single game. On November 9, 1989, he played 69 minutes (out of a possible 73) for the SuperSonics in a very long game that went into quintuple-overtime! He scored 53 points in that game. When he retired, his 1,719 career three-pointers were the second most in NBA history.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dale Ellis para niños

  • List of NBA career 3-point scoring leaders
  • List of NBA career 3-point field goal percentage leaders
  • List of NBA career games played leaders
kids search engine
Dale Ellis Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.