Wayne Ellington

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Wayne Ellington
Ellington with the Miami Heat in 2018
Miami Heat
PositionPlayer development coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1987-11-29) November 29, 1987 (age 36)
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeNorth Carolina (2006–2009)
NBA draft2009: 1st round, 28th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career2009–2022
PositionShooting guard
Number19, 22, 3, 21, 2, 20, 8
Coaching career2023–present
Career history
As player:
20092012Minnesota Timberwolves
2012–2013Memphis Grizzlies
2013Cleveland Cavaliers
2013–2014Dallas Mavericks
2014–2015Los Angeles Lakers
2015–2016Brooklyn Nets
20162019Miami Heat
2019Detroit Pistons
2019–2020New York Knicks
2020–2021Detroit Pistons
2021–2022Los Angeles Lakers
As coach:
2023–presentMiami Heat (player development)
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. (born November 29, 1987) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player development coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Known for his shooting ability, he was nicknamed "The Man With The Golden Arm".[1] He played for the University of North Carolina from 2006 to 2009. He chose to forgo his final season of college eligibility to declare for the 2009 NBA draft, and was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

High school career[edit]

Ellington scored 2,211 points in his high school career, tallying 455 points at Daniel Boone High School, and then 1,756 points at The Episcopal Academy.[2] In his senior year, Ellington averaged 21.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 39% from the three-point line. He led Episcopal to an overall record of 52–7 in his junior and senior year, and to the Inter-Academic League Conference title in his last two years going 20–0 in both seasons. (Episcopal doesn't play in state championships.)

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ellington was listed as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 8 player in the nation in 2006.[3]

College career[edit]

Ellington with the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2009

Ellington played in all 38 games for the ACC Champion Tar Heels in 2006–07, averaging 11.7 points per game. He was named to the 2007 ACC All-Tournament Team. His season ended on a sour note though, as North Carolina lost to Georgetown in the East Regional final of the NCAA Tournament. He had a chance to win the game in regulation, but missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Ellington was a member of the U.S. national team that finished fifth at the 2007 Pan American Games.

As a sophomore, Ellington saw his points-per-game average increase as the Tar Heels increasingly went to him in key moments of games. In the January 6, 2008, game at Clemson, Ellington scored a career high 36 points, including the game winning three-pointer with 0:00.4 seconds left in overtime to lead top-rated UNC over #19 Clemson 90–88.[4] But again, his season ended in a poor fashion, as he shot only 1 for 9 from three-point range, in a loss to Kansas in a national semifinal game in the NCAA Tournament. He declared for the 2008 NBA draft after that season, but did not hire an agent, and withdrew to play his junior year at North Carolina.[5]

As a Junior, Ellington helped lead the Tar Heels to the National Championship, where they defeated the Michigan State Spartans 89–72. He shot 7–10 from three-point range in the Final Four, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team and was named NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. During his college career, Ellington averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.[6]

On April 23, 2009, Ellington announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the NBA draft.

Professional career[edit]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2009–2012)[edit]

Ellington as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves

Ellington was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA draft.[7] He averaged 6.6 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game in his rookie season off of the bench.

Memphis Grizzlies (2012–2013)[edit]

On July 24, 2012, Ellington was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward Dante Cunningham.[8]

On November 11, 2012, Ellington scored a career-high 25 points on 7-of-11 three-pointers in a 104–96 win over the Miami Heat.[9] On January 7, 2013, he set a new career high with 26 points in a 113–81 win over the Sacramento Kings.[10]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2013)[edit]

On January 22, 2013, Ellington was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Marreese Speights, Josh Selby and a future first round draft pick for forward Jon Leuer.[11]

Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)[edit]

On July 26, 2013, Ellington signed with the Dallas Mavericks.[12]

Los Angeles Lakers (2014–2015)[edit]

On June 25, 2014, Ellington, along with Shane Larkin, José Calderón, Samuel Dalembert and two 2014 second-round picks, was traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.[13] On August 6, 2014, he was traded again, this time to the Sacramento Kings, along with Jeremy Tyler and a 2016 second round pick, in exchange for Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw.[14] On September 3, 2014, he was waived by the Kings.[15]

On September 22, 2014, Ellington signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[16] On November 11, 2014, he took an indefinite leave of absence from the Lakers after his father was shot and killed in Philadelphia.[17] He returned to action on November 21, 2014. On January 27, 2015, he scored a career-high 28 points in a 98–92 loss to the Washington Wizards.[18] He finished the season having played 65 games after being ruled out for the rest of the season on April 2, 2015, with a shoulder injury.[19]

Brooklyn Nets (2015–2016)[edit]

On July 10, 2015, Ellington signed with the Brooklyn Nets.[20] On December 28, 2015, he scored a season-high 26 points and tied a career high with seven made three-pointers in a 111–105 win over the Miami Heat.[21] On April 27, 2016, Ellington was named recipient of the 2015–16 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award as selected by the Pro Basketball Writers Association (PBWA).[22]

Miami Heat (2016–2019)[edit]

On July 10, 2016, Ellington signed with the Miami Heat.[23] He made his debut for the Heat on November 28, 2016, against the Boston Celtics after missing the first 16 games of the season with a bruised thigh; he played 27 minutes and scored nine points.[24]

On December 22, 2017, Ellington tied a career high with 28 points and had a career-high eight 3-pointers in a 113–101 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[25] On March 21, 2018, in a 119–98 win over the New York Knicks, Ellington hit his 200th 3-pointer of the season, making him the third Heat player with that many in a season, joining Damon Jones (225) and Tim Hardaway Sr. (203).[26] In the Heat's regular season finale on April 11, 2018, Ellington scored a career-high 32 points while setting Miami's single-season record for 3-pointers, as the Heat wrapped up the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Toronto Raptors 116–109 in overtime. Ellington needed six 3-pointers in the finale to beat the record of 225 that Jones set in the 2004–05 season. He finished the season with 227.[27]

On July 13, 2018, Ellington re-signed with the Heat.[28]

On February 6, 2019, Ellington was traded, along with Tyler Johnson, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Ryan Anderson.[29] He was waived by the Suns the following day.[30]

Detroit Pistons (2019)[edit]

On February 9, 2019, Ellington signed with the Detroit Pistons.[31]

New York Knicks (2019–2020)[edit]

On July 9, 2019, Ellington signed with the New York Knicks.[32] He made his debut for the team on October 23, 2019, scoring three points in a 111–120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[33] On February 8, 2020, Ellington logged a season-high 17 points, alongside five rebounds and three assists, in a 95–92 win over the Detroit Pistons.[34]

On November 19, 2020, the Knicks waived Ellington.[35]

Return to the Pistons (2020–2021)[edit]

On December 2, 2020, Ellington signed with the Pistons.[36] On March 3, 2021, he scored a season-high 25 points, alongside two steals, in a 129–105 win over the Toronto Raptors.[37]

Return to the Lakers (2021–2022)[edit]

On August 6, 2021, Ellington signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[38] On April 10, 2022, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 146–141 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.[39]

Coaching career[edit]

On September 29, 2023, the Miami Heat hired Ellington as a player development coach.[40]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA[edit]

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Minnesota 76 1 18.2 .424 .395 .871 2.1 1.0 .3 .1 6.6
2010–11 Minnesota 62 8 19.0 .403 .397 .792 1.7 1.2 .5 .0 6.6
2011–12 Minnesota 51 4 19.1 .404 .324 .800 1.9 .6 .5 .2 6.1
2012–13 Memphis 40 4 16.9 .407 .423 .938 1.3 1.1 .4 .0 5.5
2012–13 Cleveland 38 17 25.9 .439 .371 .898 3.0 1.6 .8 .1 10.4
2013–14 Dallas 45 1 8.7 .437 .424 .909 1.0 .4 .4 .0 3.2
2014–15 L.A. Lakers 65 36 25.8 .412 .370 .813 3.2 1.6 .5 .0 10.0
2015–16 Brooklyn 76 41 21.3 .389 .358 .857 2.3 1.1 .6 .1 7.7
2016–17 Miami 62 13 24.2 .416 .378 .860 2.1 1.1 .6 .1 10.5
2017–18 Miami 77 2 26.5 .407 .392 .859 2.8 1.0 .7 .1 11.2
2018–19 Miami 25 12 21.3 .375 .368 .875 1.9 1.2 1.0 .1 8.4
2018–19 Detroit 28 26 27.3 .421 .373 .758 2.1 1.5 1.1 .1 12.0
2019–20 New York 36 1 15.5 .351 .350 .846 1.8 1.2 .4 .1 5.1
2020–21 Detroit 46 31 22.0 .441 .422 .800 1.8 1.5 .4 .2 9.6
2021–22 L.A. Lakers 43 9 18.8 .414 .389 .818 1.8 .7 .5 .1 6.7
Career 770 206 20.9 .410 .382 .843 2.1 1.1 .5 .1 8.0

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014 Dallas 2 0 7.0 .333 .333 1.000 1.0 1.0 .0 .0 4.0
2018 Miami 5 0 20.2 .343 .400 1.000 1.6 .6 .4 .4 7.8
2019 Detroit 4 4 32.8 .314 .318 1.000 3.8 1.3 .8 .0 7.8
Career 11 4 22.4 .329 .362 1.000 2.3 .9 .5 .2 7.1

College[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006–07 North Carolina 38 37 23.9 .433 .371 .836 2.9 2.1 .8 .0 11.7
2007–08 North Carolina 39 38 31.1 .467 .400 .826 4.5 2.0 1.1 .2 16.6
2008–09 North Carolina 38 37 30.4 .483 .417 .777 4.9 2.7 .9 .2 15.8
Career 115 112 28.5 .463 .397 .809 4.1 2.2 .9 .1 14.7

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Status upgrade: Wayne Ellington's 'golden arm' goes platinum as Pistons shooting star heats up". www.nba.com. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Wayne Ellington
  3. ^ Wayne Ellington Recruiting Profile
  4. ^ "UNC escapes OT at Clemson thanks to last-second 3-pointer by Ellington." ESPN.com. Retrieved on January 7, 2008
  5. ^ "Lawson, Ellington entering draft". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 23, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  6. ^ "Wayne Ellington Stats | Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  7. ^ Taylor, Nate. Last first-round pick delivers guard only sweep Archived July 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 26, 2009.
  8. ^ "Grizzlies acquire Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. July 24, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  9. ^ "Notebook: Grizzlies 104, Heat 86". NBA.com. November 11, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  10. ^ "Notebook: Grizzlies 113, Kings 81". NBA.com. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  11. ^ "Cavaliers Acquire Speights, Ellington, Selby and Future First Round Pick From Grizzlies". NBA.com. January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  12. ^ "Mavs sign swingman Ellington". NBA.com. July 26, 2013. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  13. ^ "Knicks Acquire Calderon, Three Others in Dallas Trade". NBA.com. June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  14. ^ "Kings Acquire Jeremy Tyler, Wayne Ellington and 2016 Second-Round Draft Considerations in Trade with New York". NBA.com. August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  15. ^ "Kings Waive Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  16. ^ "Lakers Sign Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  17. ^ Lakers' Wayne Ellington takes leave after fatal shooting of his father
  18. ^ Wall's Wizards rally, send Lakers to 9th straight loss 98-92
  19. ^ Wayne Ellington Injury Update
  20. ^ "BROOKLYN NETS SIGN WAYNE ELLINGTON". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  21. ^ "Ellington's 7 3-pointers help Nets rally past Heat, 111-105". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  22. ^ Nets' Wayne Ellington Wins 2015-16 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
  23. ^ "HEAT Announce Free Agent Signings". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  24. ^ "Thomas scores 25, Celtics get past Heat 112-104". ESPN.com. November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  25. ^ "Ellington ties career-best with 28, Heat top Mavs 113-101". ESPN.com. December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  26. ^ "Olynyk's big night helps Heat past Knicks, 119-98". ESPN.com. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  27. ^ "Ellington sets Heat record, Miami tops Toronto 116-109". ESPN.com. April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  28. ^ "HEAT Re-Signs Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  29. ^ "Suns Acquire Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington from Miami". NBA.com. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  30. ^ "Suns Waive Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  31. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Free Agent Guard Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  32. ^ "New York Knicks Sign Five Players". NBA.com. July 9, 2019.
  33. ^ "SPURS RALLY TO TOP KNICKS, 120-111, SPOILING BARRETT'S DEBUT". NBA.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  34. ^ "KNICKS EDGE PISTONS 95-92 FOR 4TH STRAIGHT VICTORY". NBA.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  35. ^ "Knicks Announce Roster Moves". NBA.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  36. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  37. ^ "ELLINGTON, BACKUPS HELP PISTONS BEAT DEPLETED RAPTORS". NBA.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  38. ^ "Lakers Sign Wayne Ellington". NBA.com. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  39. ^ "REAVES, MONK LEAD LAKERS PAST NUGGETS 146-141 IN OT". NBA.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  40. ^ Stinar, Ben (September 29, 2023). "Miami Heat Add 13-Year NBA Veteran As Player Development Coach". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 30, 2023.

External links[edit]