Monta Ellis
From high school star to NBA scoring threat, Monta Ellis electrified the league with his speed and scoring.
Monta Jerome Ellis (MON-tay; born October 26, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He 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.
- Tenure with Warriors
- 2005–2012
- Notable Achievement
- NBA Most Improved Player (2007)
- Career High Points in a Game
- 48
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Ellis averaged a career-high 20.2 points in 2007–08. His career-best 25.5 points per game came in 2009–10. He was named NBA Most Improved Player in 2007. He scored a career-high 48 points on February 7, 2012, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In Their Own Story
The 2009–10 season defined Ellis as the team's true leader. After missing time due to injuries and illness, he solidified his status by averaging 25.5 points per game. On November 30, 2009, he scored a career-high 45 points in a win over Indiana, and on February 3, 2010, he set another high with 46 points against Dallas. The following year, Ellis and Stephen Curry formed a lethal duo. In the season opener on October 27, 2010, Ellis matched his career high with 46 points in a win over Houston. On February 7, 2011, he exploded for 48 points against Oklahoma City. Despite these individual brilliance moments, including being named Western Conference Player of the Week twice that season, the team's roster construction remained challenging. His final regular-season game with Golden State came before his trade to Milwaukee in March 2012, ending a tenure where he averaged close to 25 points per game on two occasions.
Reader's Guide
Ellis was drafted 40th overall by the Warriors in 2005. He helped the Warriors end a 12-year playoff absence in 2007. He was suspended for 30 games in 2008–09 after a motorized scooter accident. He was traded to the Bucks in March 2012. He signed with the Mavericks in July 2013.
Did You Know?
- Ellis scored 72 points in a high school game, tied for second on the all-time state charts.
- He was named 2005 EA SPORTS National Player of the Year and Parade co-Player of the Year with Greg Oden.
- Ellis became only the ninth guard in NBA history to shoot 60% from the floor for an entire month (February 2008).
- He led the NBA in minutes per game in 2009–10 (41.4 mpg) and 2010–11 (40.3 mpg).
More in Legendary Players & Coaches
Related in Golden State Warriors
Links follow this subject's own source article.
Elsewhere in the Golden State Warriors universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record