Elijah Millsap facts for kids

Elijah Millsap (born August 12, 1987) is an American who used to play professional basketball. He played for the College Park Skyhawks in the NBA G League most recently. Before becoming a pro, he played college basketball for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Early Basketball Days

High School Success

Elijah Millsap went to Grambling High School. In his final year, he was amazing, scoring almost 30 points and grabbing over 14 rebounds per game. He was even named the most valuable player in Louisiana's Class A basketball.

College Journey

Millsap started his college basketball career at Louisiana–Lafayette. He played in 53 games there, starting 40 of them. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. After two years, he moved to Alabama-Birmingham. In his senior year, he averaged 16.1 points per game and was chosen for the All-Conference USA team.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting in the D-League (2010–2013)

After college, Elijah Millsap was not chosen in the 2010 NBA draft. He joined the Detroit Pistons for a summer league. Later, he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder but was released. On October 30, 2010, he joined the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA Development League (now called the G League). He was named to the D-League All-Rookie second team for his great first season.

In November 2011, Millsap moved to the Los Angeles D-Fenders. He briefly signed with the Los Angeles Lakers but was waived before the season started. He then returned to the D-Fenders. In 2012, he played for the Atlanta Hawks in the Summer League. He also signed with the Shanghai Sharks in China but was released. He rejoined the D-Fenders in December 2012 and finished the season there.

Playing in Asia and Israel (2013–2016)

In June 2013, Millsap played for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippines. In January 2014, he signed with Maccabi Ashdod in Israel. He left the team in March 2014 and returned to the United States.

He briefly rejoined the Los Angeles D-Fenders in March 2014. In July 2014, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Summer League. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks but was waived. He was then traded to the Bakersfield Jam in the D-League.

Time with the Utah Jazz (2015–2016)

On January 5, 2015, Millsap signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz. He played his first NBA game that night. He signed a second 10-day contract and then a multi-year contract with the Jazz. He played for the Jazz until January 5, 2016, when he was waived.

After leaving the Jazz, Millsap signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel in January 2016. He played six games before being released in March 2016. In September 2016, he joined the San Miguel Beermen again for their playoff run in the Philippines. He helped them reach the semi-finals.

Return to the G League and NBA (2016–2019)

On October 31, 2016, Millsap joined the Northern Arizona Suns in the NBA Development League. He had a fantastic season, leading the team in scoring with 19.7 points per game and steals with 2.1 per game. He also played the most minutes and had 13 double-doubles. He was the only player to start all 50 games for the Suns that year. In one game, he scored a career-high 38 points.

Because of his great play, Millsap was called up to the Phoenix Suns (the NBA team) on April 9, 2017. He signed a multi-year contract and played his first game for Phoenix that day. He was later released by the Suns in October 2017.

In October 2017, Millsap was traded to the Iowa Wolves, which is the G League team for the Minnesota Timberwolves. From December 2018 to March 2019, he played for CB Breogán in Spain.

Final Professional Stint (2022)

On January 3, 2022, Millsap signed with the College Park Skyhawks in the NBA G League. He played in three games before being waived on January 12, 2022.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Personal Life

Elijah Millsap was born in Grambling, Louisiana. He comes from a family of basketball players. His brother, Paul Millsap, was a four-time NBA All-Star. He also has two other brothers, John and Abraham, who play basketball.

An Investigation into Past Allegations

In February 2021, an allegation was made by Elijah Millsap regarding a past meeting with a team official from the Utah Jazz. The team official and coach denied the allegation. The NBA looked into the matter. In March 2021, the league announced they could not find evidence to support the allegation. The team official later left his position in June 2021.

See also

In Spanish: Elijah Millsap para niños

• List of NBA G League career scoring leaders