Monta Ellis facts for kids

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Monta Ellis
Personal information
Ellis with the Dallas Mavericks in October 2014
Shooting guard
Born	(1985-10-26) October 26, 1985 (age 39) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
High school	Lanier (Jackson, Mississippi)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2005 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40th overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career	2005–2017
Career history
2005–2012	Golden State Warriors
2012–2013	Milwaukee Bucks
2013–2015	Dallas Mavericks
2015–2017	Indiana Pacers

Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Improved Player (2007) Mr. Basketball USA (2005) McDonald's All-American (2005) First-team Parade All-American (2005) Third-team Parade All-American (2004) Mississippi Mr. Basketball (2005)

Career statistics
Points	14,858 (17.8 ppg)
Rebounds	2,874 (3.5 rpg)
Assists	3,856 (4.6 apg)

Monta Jerome Ellis (born October 26, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known for being a great scorer.

Monta Ellis went to Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi. He was a top player there, earning honors like McDonald's All-American. After high school, he went straight to the NBA. The Golden State Warriors picked him in the 2005 NBA draft. In 2007, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player.

He played for the Golden State Warriors for six and a half seasons. Later, he played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, and Indiana Pacers.

High School Basketball Star
Playing in the NBA
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season Stats
- Playoff Stats
Personal Life
See Also

High School Basketball Star

Monta Ellis played high school basketball at Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi. In his senior year (2004–05), he was 19 years old. He led his team to win their second state championship in four years.

Monta averaged an amazing 38.4 points per game that season. He also had 7.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 4.5 steals per game. His team finished with a fantastic 35–2 record.

Big Scoring Games:
- He scored 65 points against Greenwood.
- Later, he scored 72 points against Greenwood again. This is one of the highest scores in state history.
- He also scored 46 points against Oak Hill Academy.

Monta was named the 2005 EA SPORTS National Player of the Year. He also shared the Parade co-Player of the Year award with Greg Oden. During his four years as a starter, Monta led Lanier to a 129–16 record. They won state championships in 2002 and 2005. He finished his high school career with 4,167 points. This is the second-highest total in Mississippi state history.

Monta first planned to play college basketball at Mississippi State University. However, he later decided to go directly into the NBA draft.

Playing in the NBA

Golden State Warriors (2005–2012)

The Golden State Warriors picked Monta Ellis as the 40th player in the 2005 NBA draft. This was in the second round. In his first year, he played in 46 games. He averaged 6.8 points per game. In the last game of that season, he scored a high of 27 points.

Becoming a Key Player

In the 2006–07 season, Monta Ellis improved a lot. He averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds. He helped the Warriors reach the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. His scoring increased by 9.7 points from his first season. This was the biggest improvement in the NBA.

He scored 20 or more points in 24 games. He also had a career-high 13 assists in one game. Monta was named the NBA Most Improved Player. In the playoffs, the Warriors, who were the lowest-ranked team (8th seed), beat the top-ranked Dallas Mavericks. This was a big surprise! They then lost to the Utah Jazz in the next round.

Monta Ellis playing for the Warriors in 2008

In the 2007–08 season, Monta averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game. He also had 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He was one of the best guards in the league at shooting the ball. He scored a career-high 39 points in a game against the New Jersey Nets.

Injury and Return

In 2008, Monta signed a new contract with the Warriors. Soon after, he had an accident with a motorized scooter. He injured his left ankle and needed surgery. This injury caused him to miss many games.

He returned to play in January 2009. On April 1, he had an amazing game. He scored a career-high 42 points, with nine rebounds and nine assists. He missed more games that season due to another ankle injury and the flu. In the 2008–09 season, he averaged 19.0 points per game.

Leading the Team

In the 2009–10 season, Monta Ellis became a true leader for the Warriors. He scored 42 points against the San Antonio Spurs. He then set a new career high with 45 points against the Indiana Pacers. Later, he scored 46 points against the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 25.5 points per game, which was one of the best in the NBA. He also led the league in minutes played per game.

Monta Ellis with the Warriors in 2011

In the first game of the 2010–11 season, Monta scored 46 points again. This was one of the best opening-night performances in Warriors history. He and Stephen Curry became a very strong duo. Monta averaged 24.1 points per game that season. Many people thought he should have been an All-Star.

In February 2012, he scored a career-high 48 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Milwaukee Bucks (2012–2013)

On March 13, 2012, Monta Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played his first game for the Bucks against his old team, the Warriors. He scored 18 points in that game. His best game for the Bucks in 2012 was when he scored 35 points and had 10 assists.

Monta Ellis playing for the Bucks in 2013

In the 2012–13 season, Monta started all 82 games for the Bucks. He scored 37 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also had a season-high 39 points against the Orlando Magic. On April 12, he had a career-high 17 assists in a game. The Bucks made the playoffs that year, but they lost to the Miami Heat in the first round. Monta averaged 19.2 points per game that season.

Dallas Mavericks (2013–2015)

On July 23, 2013, Monta Ellis signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He started all 82 games for the Mavericks in the 2013–14 season. In his first game with the team, he scored 32 points. He scored a season-high 37 points twice that year.

Monta Ellis with the Mavericks in 2013

The Mavericks made the playoffs as the eighth seed. They played a tough series against the San Antonio Spurs, going to seven games. Monta averaged 20.4 points per game in that series.

In the 2014–15 season, Monta continued to play well. He scored 38 points in a double-overtime win against the Chicago Bulls. He matched that high score two more times that season. He led the Mavericks in scoring, which was the first time someone other than Dirk Nowitzki had done that in many years. In the playoffs, he averaged 26.0 points per game. He scored a playoff career-high 34 points in one game.

In June 2015, Monta decided to become a free agent. He had a minor surgery on his right knee.

Indiana Pacers (2015–2017)

On July 14, 2015, Monta Ellis signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers. In the 2015–16 season, he played in 81 games and started all of them. He had a season-high 13 assists in one game. He also scored a season-high 32 points against the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 13.8 points per game that season.

In the 2016–17 season, Monta scored 19 points in the first game. He injured his groin in December and missed eight games. When he returned, he lost his starting spot. He played in 74 games that season, averaging 8.5 points per game.

On July 6, 2017, the Pacers released Monta Ellis from his contract.

NBA Career Statistics

Monta Ellis played 833 regular season games in his NBA career. He averaged 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2005–06	Golden State	49	3	18.1	.415	.341	.712	2.1	1.6	.7	.2	6.8
2006–07	Golden State	77	53	34.3	.475	.273	.763	3.2	4.1	1.7	.3	16.5
2007–08	Golden State	81	72	37.9	.531	.231	.767	5.0	3.9	1.5	.3	20.2
2008–09	Golden State	25	25	35.7	.451	.308	.830	4.3	3.7	1.6	.3	19.0
2009–10	Golden State	64	64	41.4*	.449	.338	.753	4.0	5.3	2.2	.4	25.5
2010–11	Golden State	80	80	40.3*	.451	.361	.789	3.5	5.6	2.1	.3	24.1
2011–12	Golden State	37	37	36.9	.433	.321	.812	3.4	6.0	1.5	.3	21.9
2011–12	Milwaukee	21	21	36.0	.432	.267	.764	3.5	5.9	1.4	.3	17.6
2012–13	Milwaukee	82*	82*	37.5	.416	.286	.773	3.9	6.0	2.1	.4	19.2
2013–14	Dallas	82	82*	36.9	.451	.330	.788	3.6	5.7	1.7	.3	19.0
2014–15	Dallas	80	80	33.7	.445	.285	.752	2.4	4.1	1.9	.3	18.9
2015–16	Indiana	81	81	33.8	.427	.309	.786	3.3	4.7	1.9	.5	13.8
2016–17	Indiana	74	33	27.0	.443	.319	.727	2.8	3.2	1.1	.4	8.5
Career		833	713	34.8	.451	.314	.772	3.5	4.6	1.7	.3	17.8

Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2007	Golden State	11	6	21.6	.390	.111	.821	2.3	.9	.9	.2	8.0
2013	Milwaukee	4	4	38.0	.436	.158	.375	3.3	5.5	2.5	.3	14.3
2014	Dallas	7	7	35.6	.409	.353	.871	2.4	2.9	1.3	.1	20.4
2015	Dallas	5	5	39.4	.468	.367	.750	3.2	5.2	2.0	.6	26.0
2016	Indiana	7	7	32.1	.434	.333	.800	3.9	4.3	2.1	.0	11.6
2017	Indiana	4	2	18.9	.400	.250	.800	2.0	1.3	.5	.3	5.5
Career		38	31	29.9	.427	.298	.755	2.8	3.0	1.5	.2	13.7

Personal Life

Monta Ellis is the son of Marcellus Singleton and Rosa Ellis. His older brother, Antwain Ellis, was his basketball hero when he was growing up. Monta is married to Juanika, and they have three children. He loves collecting sneakers and is also a big fan of fishing.