Editing Pervis Ellison

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Pervis Ellison
| image = Pervis Ellison 1987.jpeg
| caption = Ellison at the [[1987 Pan American Games]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|4|3}}
| birth_place = [[Savannah, Georgia]], U.S.
| height_ft = 6 
| height_in = 9
| weight_lbs = 210
| high_school = [[Savannah High School (Georgia)|Savannah]] (Savannah, Georgia)
| college = [[Louisville Cardinals men's basketball|Louisville]] (1985–1989)
| draft_year = 1989
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 1
| draft_team = [[Sacramento Kings]]
| career_start = 1989
| career_end = 2000
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]]
| career_number = 42, 43, 29
| years1 = {{nbay|1989|full=y}}
| team1 = [[Sacramento Kings]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1990|start}}–{{nbay|1993|end}}
| team2 = [[Washington Bullets]]
| years3 = {{nbay|1994|start}}–{{nbay|1999|end}}
| team3 = [[Boston Celtics]]
| years4 = {{nbay|2000|start}}
| team4 = [[Seattle SuperSonics]]
| highlights =
* [[NBA Most Improved Player Award|NBA Most Improved Player]] ({{nbay|1991|end}})
* [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1986]])
* [[NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player|NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player]] (1986)
* Consensus first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1989 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1989]])
* [[Metro Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|Metro Conference Co-Player of the Year]] (1988)
* 3× First-team All-[[Metro Conference]] (1987–1989)
* No. 42 [[Louisville Cardinals men's basketball#Retired numbers|retired by Louisville Cardinals]]
| stats_league = NBA
|stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
|stat1value = 4,494 (9.5 ppg)
|stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
|stat2value = 3,170 (6.7 rpg)
|stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
|stat3value = 691 (1.5 apg)
| medal_templates = 
{{MedalSport|Men's [[basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{flagu|United States}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1987 Pan American Games|1987 Indianapolis]] | [[Basketball at the 1987 Pan American Games|Team competition]]}}
}}
'''Pervis Ellison''' (born April 3, 1967) is an American former [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) player. Nicknamed "'''Never Nervous Pervis'''" for his clutch play with the [[University of Louisville]], after leading Louisville to a national championship, Ellison was the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. His professional career was largely hindered by injuries, though he won the [[NBA Most Improved Player Award]] in 1992.

==Collegiate career==
At {{height|ft=6|in=9}}, {{convert|242|lb|abbr=on}}, he started all four years as the [[center (basketball)|center]] under coach [[Denny Crum]]. In his freshman year he led Louisville to its second [[1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|national championship]], scoring a game-leading 25 points and adding 11 rebounds in the 72-69 championship win over Duke,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1986-03-31-duke.html|title=Louisville vs. Duke Box Score (Men), March 31, 1986|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref> and was then named the [[NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player|Most Outstanding Player]]—the second time a freshman had ever been awarded that honor, after [[Arnie Ferrin]] in 1944 for Utah.

==Professional career==
Ellison was made the first overall pick in the [[1989 NBA draft]] by the [[Sacramento Kings]]. Teammate [[Danny Ainge]] gave Ellison the nickname "'''Out of Service Pervis'''" for the many injuries that would plague him during his professional career. An injury kept him on the sidelines for 48 of 82 games of his rookie year, after which he was traded to the [[Washington Bullets]] in a three-team trade involving the [[Utah Jazz]] that also sent [[Jeff Malone]] to the Jazz and [[Eric Leckner]], [[Bob Hansen]], and draft picks to the Kings. On April 6, 1991, Ellison scored a career-best 30 points while adding 12 rebounds in a win over the [[Indiana Pacers]].<ref>{{cite news |title=PACERS CLOSE PLAYOFFS TO BULLETS |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1991/04/06/pacers-close-playoffs-to-bullets/577c2570-fe11-4374-a481-5e15754d760e/}}</ref> Although he sometimes played as a backup in [[1990–91 NBA season|1990–1991]], the following year he became a full time starter and earned Most Improved Player honors after averaging 20.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.68 blocks per game. Among the best games of Ellison's NBA career occurred on January 31, 1992, when he recorded 19 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocked shots and 2 steals against the Knicks.

Assorted injuries plagued his career, including two knee problems that kept him benched for 29 games in [[1992–93 NBA season|1992–93]] and 30 games in [[1993–94 NBA season|1993–94]]. Ellison signed with the [[Boston Celtics]] after he was released by Washington in April 1994, but did not play until midway through the [[1994-95 NBA season|following season]] because he was still rehabilitating from knee problems. A broken toe suffered while moving furniture kept him out of most games between 1996 and 1998. After participating in 69 out of a possible 246 games over the final three seasons with the Celtics, he joined the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] in 2000 but retired after playing nine games. He once coached basketball for Life Center Academy in [[Burlington, New Jersey]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phil-anastasia/?month=6&year=2011 |title=Jersey Side Sports |website=www.philly.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020002401/http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phil-anastasia/?month=6&year=2011 |archive-date=2011-10-20}}</ref> and is a resident of [[Voorhees Township, New Jersey]].<ref>Schwartz, Erik. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105012857/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courierpostonline/access/1776232671.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+15,+2005&author=ERIK+SCHWARTZ&pub=Courier+Post&desc=Basketball+tournament+to+honor+slaying+victim&pqatl=google "Basketball tournament to honor slaying victim"], ''[[Courier Post]]'', September 15, 2005. Accessed March 17, 2011. "Also expected to appear and sign autographs are Pervis Ellison a Voorhees resident and YMCA member who was the top pick in the 1989 NBA draft."</ref> His son [[Malik Ellison|Malik]] played for him at Life Center Academy and is a professional basketball player.<ref name="catchingup">{{cite news |title=Catching Up With.....Malik Ellison |url=https://savannahherald.net/catching-up-withmalik-ellison-p9972-93.htm |access-date=October 6, 2021 |work=Savannah Herald |date=May 6, 2016}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend}}

===College===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1985–86]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1985–86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team|Louisville]]
| '''39''' || '''39''' || 30.6 || .554 || – || .682 || 8.2 || 2.0 || '''1.3''' || 2.4 || 13.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1986–87]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1986–87 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team|Louisville]]
| 31 || 31 || 30.7 || .533 || – || '''.719''' || '''8.7''' || 1.8 || 1.2 || 2.6 || 15.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1987–88]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1987–88 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team|Louisville]]
| 35 || 35 || '''33.6''' || .601 || '''.500''' || .692 || 8.3 || '''3.1''' || '''1.3''' || 2.9 || '''17.6'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1988–89]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1988–89 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team|Louisville]]
| 31 || 30 || 32.7 || '''.615''' || .000 || .652 || '''8.7''' || 2.5 || '''1.3''' || '''3.2''' || '''17.6'''
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 136 || 135 || 31.9 || .577 || .333 || .687 || 8.4 || 2.4 || 1.3 || 2.8 || 15.8
{{S-end}}

===NBA===
====Regular season====
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1989}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| 34 || 22 || 25.5 || .442 || .000 || .628 || 5.8 || 1.9 || .5 || 1.7 || 8.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1990}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1990–91 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| '''76''' || 30 || 25.6 || .513 || .000 || .650 || 7.7 || 1.3 || .6 || 2.1 || 10.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1991}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1991–92 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| 66 || '''64''' || '''38.0''' || .539 || '''.333''' || .782 || '''11.2''' || '''2.9''' || '''.9''' || '''2.7''' || '''20.0'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1992}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1992–93 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| 49 || 48 || 34.7 || .521 || .000 || .702 || 8.8 || 2.4 || '''.9''' || 2.2 || 17.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1993}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1993–94 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| 47 || 24 || 25.1 || .469 || .000 || .722 || 5.1 || 1.5 || .5 || 1.1 || 7.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1994}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1994–95 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 55 || 11 || 19.7 || .507 || .000 || .717 || 5.6 || .6 || .4 || 1.0 || 6.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1995}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1995–96 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 69 || 29 || 20.7 || .492 || {{sort|-|—}} || .641 || 6.5 || .9 || .6 || 1.4 || 5.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1996}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1996–97 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 6 || 4 || 20.8 || .375 || {{sort|-|—}} || .600 || 4.3 || .7 || .8 || 1.5 || 2.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1997}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1997–98 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 33 || 8 || 13.5 || '''.571''' || {{sort|-|—}} || .588 || 3.3 || .9 || .6 || .9 || 3.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1999}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1999–2000 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 30 || 5 || 9.0 || .442 || {{sort|-|—}} || .714 || 2.2 || .4 || .3 || .3 || 1.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2000}}
|style="text-align:left;"|[[2000–01 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]
| 9 || 0 || 4.4 || .286 || {{sort|-|—}} || '''1.000''' || 1.3 || .3 || .0 || .2 || .7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 474 || 245 || 24.5 || .520 || .050 || .689 || 6.7 || 1.5 || .6 || 1.6 || 9.5
{{s-end}}

====Playoffs====
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1995 NBA playoffs|1995]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1994–95 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
| 4 || 0 || 17.0 || .579 || {{sort|-|—}} || 1.000 || 4.3 || .5 || .5 || 1.3 || 6.0
{{s-end}}

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{basketballstats}}

{{navboxes|list=
{{1986 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball navbox}}
{{United States Men Basketball Squad 1987 Pan American Games}}
{{NCAA basketball tournament MOP men}}
{{1989 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Metro Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{1989 NBA draft}}
{{NBA NumberOne Draft Picks}}
{{NBA Most Improved Players}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellison, Pervis}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Savannah, Georgia]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics players]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players]]
[[Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in basketball]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Voorhees Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Camden County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sacramento Kings draft picks]]
[[Category:Sacramento Kings players]]
[[Category:Seattle SuperSonics players]]
[[Category:Washington Bullets players]]
[[Category:United States men's national basketball team players]]
[[Category:First overall NBA draft picks]]