{{Short description|American basketball player (1940–2012)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name =LeRoy Ellis | image = LeRoy Ellis, 1972.jpg | width = | caption = Ellis in 1972 | position = Center / power forward | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 210 | number = 25, 44, 23, 14, | birth_date = {{birth date|1940|3|10}} | birth_place = Far Rockaway, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2012|6|2|1940|3|10}} | death_place = Scappoose, Oregon, U.S. | high_school = Thomas Jefferson<br/>(Brooklyn, New York) | college = St. John's (1959–1962) | draft_year = 1962 | draft_round = 1 | draft_pick = 6 | draft_team = Los Angeles Lakers | career_start = 1962 | career_end = 1976 | years1 = {{nbay|1962|start}}–{{nbay|1965|end}} | team1 = Los Angeles Lakers | years2 = {{nbay|1966|start}}–{{nbay|1969|end}} | team2 = Baltimore Bullets | years3 = {{nbay|1970|full=y}} | team3 = Portland Trail Blazers | years4 = {{nbay|1971|start}}–{{nbay|1972|start}} | team4 = Los Angeles Lakers | years5 = {{nbay|1972|start}}–{{nbay|1975|end}} | team5 = Philadelphia 76ers | highlights = * NBA champion (1972) * Haggerty Award (1962) | stat1label = Points | stat1value = 10,176 (9.7 ppg) | stat2label = Rebounds | stat2value = 8,709 (8.3 rpg) | stat3label = Assists | stat3value = 1,405 (1.3 apg) | bbr = ellisle01 | letter = e }}

'''LeRoy Ellis''' (March 10, 1940 &ndash; June 2, 2012) was an American basketball player.

==Basketball career== A 6'11" center from St. John's University, Ellis set the St. John's records for highest rebounding average in a season (16.5) and most rebounds in one game with 30.<ref name=goldstein>{{citation |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |title=LeRoy Ellis, a Star Big Man at St. John's, Dies at 72| newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 3, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/sports/basketball/leroy-ellis-star-with-st-johns-and-nbas-lakers-dies-at-72.html}}</ref> In his senior year, he received the 1962 Haggerty Award as the All-Metropolitan New York Division I men's college basketball player of the year.

Ellis was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (8th pick overall) of the 1962 NBA draft. He played in 1,048 games over 14 seasons (1962&ndash;1976) in the NBA with the Lakers, Baltimore Bullets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers, and was a member of the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers championship team,<ref name="Player of the Week">{{cite news | last = Kresal | first = Steve | title = Ellis Adjusts to His Role in Mater Dei's Tradition | page = OC B7 | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 1986-03-12 | url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/58536696.html?dids=58536696:58536696&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+12%2C+1986&author=STEVE+KRESAL&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Orange+County+Player+of+the+Week+Ellis+Adjusts+to+His+Role+in+Mater+Dei%27s+Tradition&pqatl=google | accessdate = 2008-05-21 }}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> which also won a then-record 69 games in the regular season, and recorded the longest winning streak in NBA history with 33 wins. The following season, Ellis was traded to the 76ers, who had an NBA-worst 73 losses in an 82-game season.<ref name=quick/> At the close of his NBA career 1976, Ellis had amassed career totals of 10,176 points and 8,709 rebounds.

Ellis was on the first Portland Trail Blazers team in 1970–71, selected from Baltimore in the 1970 expansion draft. He was in the starting lineup for the Trail Blazers' inaugural game. He was their third leading scorer (15.9 points per game)<ref name="basketball-reference.com">[https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1971.html 1970–71 Portland Trail Blazers Roster and Stats]</ref> and the leading rebounder, averaging 12.3 per game, the third-best average in the Blazers’ first three decades.<ref name="Blazers Player History: Leroy Ellis">{{cite news | title = Blazers Player History: Leroy Ellis | work = nba.com | url = http://www.nba.com/blazers/history/Player_History_LeRoy_Ellis-72761-41.html | accessdate = 2011-06-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091213145909/http://www.nba.com/blazers/history/Player_History_LeRoy_Ellis-72761-41.html | archive-date = 2009-12-13 | url-status = dead }}</ref> He continued playing basketball long after his professional career ended, including being a part of several Senior Masters Games national championship teams in Portland.<ref name="Blazers Player History: Leroy Ellis"/>

==Personal life== Ellis and his family settled in Portland, Oregon, while he played professional basketball.<ref name="Player of the Week" /> He later entered the tire industry during his retirement and moved to Southern California to operate a tire store in Orange County.<ref name="Player of the Week" /> LeRoy Ellis was accompanied by his son, LeRon, and the two moved to the city of Anaheim, California while waiting for the rest of their family to join them at a later time.<ref name="Player of the Week" /> Ellis and his wife eventually returned to Portland.<ref>{{cite news | title = The ups and downs of LeRoy Ellis| work = Los Angeles Times | date = 2009-09-21 | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-sep-21-sp-crowe21-story.html | access-date = 2011-06-01 }}</ref>

Three of Ellis' children have gone on to play college basketball: his daughter Lisa played women's basketball for California State University, Long Beach and the University of Kentucky;<ref name="Player of the Week" /> his eldest son LeRoy Jr. played NCAA Division I men's basketball for the University of the Pacific and was a member of the 1990 NCAA Division II National Champion Kentucky Wesleyan College;<ref name="Player of the Week" /> and another son, LeRon, played at the University of Kentucky and Syracuse University before playing two and a half seasons in the NBA. LeRoy Ellis' youngest son, Lee Christopher Ellis, was shot to death on a Los Angeles street in 1998 at age 19.<ref>{{cite news | title = Jarrett Prevails at Talladega; Gordon 2nd | page = D3 | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 1998-10-12 | url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/35020658.html?dids=35020658:35020658&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+12%2C+1998&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=NEWSWIRE%3B+Jarrett+Prevails+at+Talladega%3B+Gordon+2nd&pqatl=google | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121022165648/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/35020658.html?dids=35020658:35020658&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+12,+1998&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=NEWSWIRE%3B+Jarrett+Prevails+at+Talladega%3B+Gordon+2nd&pqatl=google | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 22, 2012 | accessdate = 2009-02-21 }}</ref>

Ellis died of prostate cancer on June 2, 2012, at the age of 72.<ref name=quick>{{citation |last=Quick |first=Jason |title=LeRoy Ellis, one of the original Trail Blazers, passes away Saturday at 72 | newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 2, 2012 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/06/leroy_ellis_one_of_the_original_trail_blazers_pass.html}}</ref>

==Career statistics== {{NBA player statistics legend|leader=y|champion=y}}

===NBA=== Source<ref name=bbr>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ellisle01.html|title=Leroy Ellis NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=3 March 2024}}</ref>

====Regular season==== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" |- ! Year ! Team ! GP ! GS ! MPG ! FG% ! FT% ! RPG ! APG ! SPG ! BPG ! PPG |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1962}} |style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | style="background:#CFECEC;"|80* || || 20.4 || .419 || .658 || 6.5 || .6 || || || 7.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1963}} |style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 78 || || 18.7 || .423 || .659 || 6.4 || .5 || || || 6.6 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1964}} |style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | style="background:#CFECEC;"|80* || || 25.3 || .444 || .697 || 8.2 || .6 || || || 10.3 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1965}} |style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | style="background:#CFECEC;"|80* || || 27.7 || .424 || .727 || 9.2 || .9 || || || 12.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1966}} |style="text-align:left;"| Baltimore | style="background:#CFECEC;"|81* || || '''36.3''' || .425 || .738 || 12.0 || 2.1 || || || 14.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1967}} |style="text-align:left;"| Baltimore | 78 || || 34.9 || '''.475''' || .724 || 11.1 || 2.0 || || || 12.4 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1968}} |style="text-align:left;"| Baltimore | 80 || || 20.0 || .435 || .755 || 6.4 || .9 || || || 7.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1969}} |style="text-align:left;"| Baltimore | 72 || || 16.2 || .469 || .741 || 5.2 || .7 || || || 6.6 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1970}} |style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 74 || || 34.9 || .443 || '''.801''' || '''12.3''' || '''3.2''' || || || '''15.9''' |- |style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| {{nbay|1971}}† |style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 74 || || 14.6 || .460 || .695 || 4.2 || .6 || || || 4.6 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1972}} |style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 10 || || 15.6 || .275 || .800 || 3.3 || .3 || || || 2.6 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1972|nolink=y}} |style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 69 || 69 || 35.4 || .441 || '''.801''' || 10.8 || 2.0 || || || 13.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1973}} |style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 81 || '''81''' || 35.0 || .452 || .750 || 11.0 || 2.3 || '''1.1''' || '''1.1''' || 9.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1974}} |style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | '''82''' || 69 || 22.6 || .461 || .727 || 7.1 || 1.4 || .5 || .7 || 7.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1975}} |style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 29 || 13 || 16.9 || .462 || .607 || 4.2 || .7 || .6 || .3 || 4.8 |- class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 1,048 || 163 || 26.3 || .442 || .728 || 8.3 || 1.3 || .8 || .8 || 9.7 |}

====Playoffs==== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" |- ! Year ! Team ! GP ! MPG ! FG% ! FT% ! RPG ! APG ! SPG ! BPG ! PPG |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1963 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | style="background:#CFECEC;"|13* || 23.2 || '''.509''' || .818 || 6.5 || '''1.0''' || || || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1964 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 5 || 28.8 || .296 || .733 || 10.0 || .8 || || || 5.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1965 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 11 || '''36.8''' || .393 || .677 || '''12.1''' || .6 || || || '''14.4''' |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1966 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | '''14''' || 30.4 || .406 || .641 || 9.5 || .6 || || || 9.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1969 | style="text-align:left;"| Baltimore | 4 || 16.8 || .500 || .600 || 4.5 || .4 || || || 4.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1970 | style="text-align:left;"| Baltimore | 3 || 2.7 || .000 || '''1.000''' || 1.0 || .0 || || || .7 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| 1972† | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 13 || 10.3 || .463 || .250 || 3.2 || .8 || || || 3.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1976 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 1 || 1.0 || &ndash; || &ndash; || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 64 || 23.2 || .413 || .693 || 7.2 || .7 || .0 || .0 || 7.2 |}

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{basketballstats}}

{{Haggerty Award}} {{1962 NBA draft}} {{Los Angeles Lakers 1971–72 NBA champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Leroy}} Category:1940 births Category:2012 deaths Category:Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in Oregon Category:Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:People from Far Rockaway, Queens Category:Philadelphia 76ers players Category:Portland Trail Blazers expansion draft picks Category:Portland Trail Blazers players Category:Basketball players from Queens, New York Category:St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players Category:People from Columbia County, Oregon Category:Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn) alumni Category:American men's basketball players Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen Category:21st-century American sportsmen