Career
Monta Ellis took up basketball in high school. As part of the ‘Lanier High School Bulldogs’, he led them to their second state championship. In his senior year in 2005, Ellis was named ‘2005 EA SPORTS National Player of the Year’.
After high school, Ellis was picked 40th overall by the ‘Golden State Warriors’ in the 2005 NBA Draft, held on June 28. He played for the team from 2005 to 2012.
In his rookie season (2005–2006) for the ‘Golden State Warriors’ (GSW), he played 49 games; starting in three. He recorded a .415 FG% (Field goal percentage), 2.1 RPG (rebound per game), 1.6 APG (Assists per game), and 6.8 PPG (Points per game).
His second season (2006–2007) was even more impressive. He started in 53 of 77 games. He also averaged .475 FG%, 3.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, and 16.5 PPG.
In 2007, Monta Ellis was named the ‘NBA Most Improved Player’. In the third season (2007–2008) for ‘GSW’, Ellis averaged a career-high 20.2 PPG. He also recorded .531 FG%, 5.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG.
Ellis signed a new US $66 million contract with the ‘Golden State Warriors’ on July 24, 2008. Unfortunately, an ankle injury and torn deltoid sidelined him in August. In his fourth season (2008–2009), Ellis only played 25 games and finished with 19 PPG.
Desperate to make a comeback, Monta Ellis was even stronger in the fifth season (2009– 2010). He registered a career-high 41.4 MPG (Minutes per game) for the ‘Golden State Warriors’.
He started in 64 games played in the 2009–2010 season. He averaged .449 FG%, 4.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, and his career-best of 25.5 PPG.
Ellis started in all the 80 games in the sixth season (2010–2011) with GSW. He averaged 40.3 MPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 24.1 PPG.
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In the 2011–2012 season, he played for multiple teams, including GSW and ‘Milwaukee Bucks’, etc. He officially joined the ‘Milwaukee Bucks’ on March 13, 2012.
In the 2012–2013 season for the ‘Milwaukee Bucks’, Monta Ellis started in all of the 82 games. He averaged 19.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 6 APG.
He was signed to a US $25 million contract by the ‘Dallas Mavericks’ on July 23, 2013. In the 2013–2014 season, he started in all 82 games, averaging .451 FG%, 3.6 RPG, 5.7 APG, and 19 PPG.
In the 2014–2015 season, he started in all the 80 games for the Dallas Mavericks. He also averaged 18.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 4.1 APG. On June 24, 2015, he became a free agent.
Monta Ellis signed a US $44 million contract with the ‘Indiana Pacers’ on July 14, 2015. In his first season (2015–2016), he started in 81 games, averaging .427 FG%, 3.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, and 13.8 PPG.
His last NBA season (2016–2017) with the ‘Indiana Pacers’ finished with him scoring only 8.5 PPG. He was waived by the team on July 6, 2017.
In the NBA playoffs he has started in 31 out of 38 games, averaging 29.9 MPG, 3 APG, .427 FG%, and 13.7 PPG.
Facts About Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis has a unique ritual of chewing on a straw during games to help him stay focused and calm under pressure.
In his spare time, Monta Ellis enjoys collecting sneakers and has an impressive collection of rare and limited edition shoes.
Despite his professional basketball career, Monta Ellis is a talented musician and enjoys playing the guitar in his free time.
Monta Ellis is known for his love of cooking and often shares pictures of his homemade meals on social media.
Off the court, Monta Ellis is a dedicated philanthropist, supporting various charitable causes and organizations in his community.
