Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | February 2, 1968||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Cholla (Tucson, Arizona) | ||||||||||||||||||||
College | Arizona (1985–1989) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1989: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1989–2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
1989–1993 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||
1993–1994 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||||||||
1994–2001 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
Points | 10,544 (14.2 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 3,204 (4.3 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Assists | 1,897 (2.6 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
|
Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) [1] is an American former professional basketball player who starred as a small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career as a two-time All-American, winner of the 1989 John R. Wooden Award, the 1989 Adolph Rupp Trophy, the 1989 NABC Player of the Year, 1989 AP Player of the Year, and two time Pac-12 Player of the Year (in 1988–1989).
Elliott was the third pick of the 1989 NBA draft, was named to the 1990 NBA All-Rookie Second Team, was a two-time NBA All-Star, and earned an NBA championship in 1999. His No. 32 is retired by both the University of Arizona and the San Antonio Spurs.
Elliott was born in Tucson, Arizona, as the youngest of three boys. He attended the G.A.T.E. (Gifted and Talented Education) program at Tolson Elementary School there, then played basketball at Cholla High School (now Cholla High Magnet School) on the city's west side.
After graduating in 1985, he remained in Tucson to play college basketball at the University of Arizona. Under the tutelage of Lute Olson, Elliott was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He was selected as a consensus all-American during his junior and senior years, and led the Wildcats to the Final Four in his junior year (1988). Elliott broke Lew Alcindor's (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) all time Pac-10 career scoring record. After an exceptional senior season, Elliott won the Wooden Award. He is still the University of Arizona's all-time leading scorer.
He played for the US national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal. [2]
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 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985–86 | Arizona | 32 | ... | 33.7 | .486 | ... | .749 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 15.6 |
1986–87 | Arizona | 30 | ... | 34.9 | .510 | .371 | .770 | 6.0 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 19.3 |
1987–88 | Arizona | 38 | ... | 32.9 | .570 | .471 | .793 | 5.8 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 19.6 |
1988–89 | Arizona | 33 | ... | 34.1 | .480 | .504 | .841 | 7.2 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 22.3 |
Career [3] | ... | 133 | ... | 33.8 | .512 | .456 | .793 | 6.1 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 19.2 |
This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(July 2020) |
Elliott was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs as the third pick in the first round of the 1989 NBA draft. Elliot started in 69 of 81 games for the season and averaged 10 points a game. The Spurs made the playoffs where they swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round before falling to the eventual Western Conference Champion Portland Trail Blazers in 7 games.
In the following season, Elliott was moved to the permanent starting line-up and increased his scoring to 15.9 points a game. The Spurs won 55 games but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors in four games. Elliott averaged 16.3 points per game during the 1991–92 season but San Antonio were swept in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.
During the 1992–93 season, Elliott averaged 17.2 points per game, including a career-high 41 points against the Dallas Mavericks on December 18, 1992. He was named to play in the 1993 NBA All-Star Game alongside teammate David Robinson. In the playoffs, San Antonio defeated Portland 3 games to 1, before facing the number one seeded Suns in the conference semifinal. After losing the first two games in Phoenix, the Spurs responded with consecutive games at home, as Elliott scored 17 points in game 3 and 19 points in game 4. The Suns managed to wrap up the series in the next two games. Elliot averaged 15.8 points per game in the playoffs.
Elliott spent the 1993–94 season with the Detroit Pistons after being traded for Dennis Rodman in a multi-player deal. After Elliott struggled with the Pistons, the Pistons attempted to trade him to the eventual champion Houston Rockets in February 1994 in exchange for Robert Horry, Matt Bullard and two second-round draft choices; the trade fell through when Elliott failed his physical. [4] [5] [6] After the trade was voided, Elliott held a press conference and announced that he had a kidney problem. [7] Elliott remained in Detroit for the rest of the season and averaged 12.1 points per game. Following the end of the season, he was traded back to the Spurs for the draft rights of Bill Curley.
In the 1994–1995 season, the Spurs won 62 games under the leadership of Elliott and the season's NBA Most Valuable Player Robinson. The Spurs clinched the top seed in the Western Conference, and swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round before facing the young Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals. Elliott scored 26 points – his high for the playoffs – in the series-clinching game against the Lakers. The Spurs lost to the Houston Rockets in the conference finals.
The 1995–1996 season was a personal best for Elliott, as he averaged 20 points a game, a career high, in 77 games. Elliott also made a career-high 161 three-pointers on the season. He played in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game and scored 13 points. The following season, Elliott suffered injuries that limited him to 39 games. Injuries limited him again to just 36 games in the 1997–1998 season.
The 1998–1999 season was shortened to 50 games as a result of a league lockout, but the Spurs won 37 of the games for the west's best record led by Duncan and Robinson, with Elliott starting in all 50 games with an average of 11.2 points a game. The Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers to face the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference finals. During game 2, the Trail Blazers held a 2-point lead with 9 seconds left to play in regulation. Elliott received a pass nearly stolen by Blazer Stacey Augmon in the corner, before Elliott caught the ball within an inch of the sideline. He managed to stay on his tiptoes rather than planting his feet, before releasing a 21-foot three-point attempt just over the outstretched arms of 6 foot 11 forward Rasheed Wallace. The shot went in, giving the Spurs a 1-point lead and the eventual victory. The shot was named the "Memorial Day Miracle" because of its improbability and the date on which it was made. Elliott finished the game with 22 points. The Spurs made the NBA Finals and faced the New York Knicks. The Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games to win their first NBA Championship. Elliott averaged 11.9 points in 17 games in the playoffs while shooting 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Shortly after the championship run, Elliott announced that he had a kidney disease known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, that his kidney function was worsening, and that he would require a transplant as soon as a matching donor became available. [8] Elliott also disclosed that he had been aware of his kidney ailment since 1993. [9] He underwent surgery on August 16, 1999, after he received a kidney from his older brother, Noel.
On March 13, 2000, in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, Elliott became the first professional athlete to return to his sport after the kidney transplant. [10] He played in only 19 games in the 1999–2000 season. Elliott started in 34 of 52 games in the 2000–2001 season; the Spurs held the best record in the league, but lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Elliott announced his retirement in 2001. He finished his career averaging 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Elliott is the fifth all-time franchise leader in three-point field goals made (563) and fourth for three-point attempts (1,485).
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 |
† | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989–90 | San Antonio | 81 | 69 | 25.1 | .481 | .111 | .866 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 10.0 |
1990–91 | San Antonio | 82 | 82 | 37.1 | .490 | .313 | .808 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 15.9 |
1991–92 | San Antonio | 82 | 82 | 38.0 | .494 | .305 | .861 | 5.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 16.3 |
1992–93 | San Antonio | 70 | 70 | 37.2 | .491 | .356 | .798 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 17.2 |
1993–94 | Detroit | 73 | 73 | 33.0 | .455 | .299 | .803 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 12.1 |
1994–95 | San Antonio | 81 | 81 | 35.3 | .468 | .408 | .807 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 18.1 |
1995–96 | San Antonio | 77 | 77 | 37.7 | .466 | .411 | .771 | 5.1 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 20.0 |
1996–97 | San Antonio | 39 | 39 | 35.7 | .422 | .333 | .755 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 14.9 |
1997–98 | San Antonio | 36 | 36 | 28.1 | .403 | .378 | .718 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 9.3 |
1998–99† | San Antonio | 50* | 50* | 30.2 | .410 | .328 | .757 | 4.3 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 11.2 |
1999–2000 | San Antonio | 19 | 19 | 20.6 | .358 | .351 | .781 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.0 |
2000–01 | San Antonio | 52 | 34 | 23.6 | .434 | .426 | .714 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 7.9 |
Career | 742 | 712 | 33.0 | .465 | .375 | .800 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 14.2 | |
All-Star | 2 | 0 | 18.5 | .333 | .333 | .800 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | San Antonio | 10 | 10 | 29.1 | .552 | .000 | .724 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 12.7 |
1991 | San Antonio | 4 | 4 | 33.0 | .425 | .000 | .781 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 14.8 |
1992 | San Antonio | 3 | 3 | 45.7 | .475 | .625 | .889 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 19.7 |
1993 | San Antonio | 10 | 10 | 38.1 | .472 | .214 | .925 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 15.8 |
1995 | San Antonio | 15 | 15 | 38.3 | .435 | .364 | .776 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 17.3 |
1996 | San Antonio | 10 | 10 | 38.9 | .402 | .294 | .797 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 15.5 |
1999† | San Antonio | 17 | 17 | 33.8 | .444 | .400 | .763 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 11.9 |
2000 | San Antonio | 4 | 4 | 29.8 | .375 | .385 | .625 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 10.0 |
2001 | San Antonio | 12 | 0 | 19.9 | .373 | .364 | 1.000 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 4.8 |
Career | 85 | 73 | 33.4 | .445 | .356 | .801 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 13.2 |
After retiring, Elliott became a basketball analyst for The NBA on NBC and, during the 2003–2004 season, for ABC Sports and ESPN. He left that position for the 2004–2005 season and became the color commentator for the Spurs' local broadcasts. On January 5, 2013, he joined Fox Sports 1, calling his first college basketball game with the network. [11]
On March 6, 2005, his #32 was retired by the San Antonio Spurs and was hung in the rafters of the AT&T Center. His #32 is also retired by the University of Arizona.
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Frost Bank Center.
John MacBeth Paxson is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was their general manager from 2003 to 2009. Paxson played eleven NBA seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, winning three championships as a member of the Bulls. He was an All-American college player at the University of Notre Dame.
Stephen Douglas Kerr is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the U.S. national team. He is known as one of the most accurate three-point shooters in NBA history and holds the record for highest three-point percentage. Kerr is also a nine-time NBA champion, having won five titles as a player and four as head coach of the Warriors. He was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History.
Steven Delano Smith is an American former professional basketball player who is a basketball analyst for Turner Sports. After a collegiate career with Michigan State, he played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks which included an All-Star Game appearance in 1998. He won a championship with the Spurs in 2003. Smith was widely regarded as an excellent three-point shooter, and is one of three players to make seven 3-pointers in a quarter.
Robert Keith Horry is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. He earned the nickname "Big Shot Rob", because of his clutch shooting in important games. A seven-time NBA champion, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest clutch performers and winners in NBA history.
Andre Lloyd Miller is an American former professional basketball player and the current head coach for the Grand Rapids Gold. Miller has played professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. Currently, he ranks eleventh all-time in NBA career assists and only missed three games to injury in his 17-year career.
Daniel Lewis Majerle, also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", is an American former professional basketball player and former coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. He played 14 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers. He won a bronze medal with the U.S. national team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and a gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship.
Zachary McKenley Randolph is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played for five teams over the course of his professional career, making the All-NBA Third Team in 2011 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also played with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings before retiring in December 2019. Randolph later planned to come out of retirement in 2020 to join the Big3.
Robert Terrell Cummings is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and was a lead player on several postseason teams while in Milwaukee and San Antonio.
Rodney Strickland is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's professional path. Strickland played college basketball for the DePaul Blue Demons, earning All-American honors. He had a long career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing from 1988 to 2005. Strickland was an assistant coach for the South Florida Bulls, under Orlando Antigua from 2014 to 2017. He formerly served in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari and was the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis under Calipari. He is the godfather of current NBA player Kyrie Irving. Strickland was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2008.
Willie Lloyd Anderson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. During his professional career, Anderson played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and three seasons in the EuroLeague. He was named to the 1988–89 NBA season's All-Rookie First Team. While he was a member of the Greek Basket League club AEK Athens, he played in the 1998 EuroLeague Final. Anderson won an Olympic bronze medal as a member of the United States national team in 1988.
The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 4 games to 1 to win their first NBA championship. Until 2023, this was the only NBA Finals to feature a #8 seed.
LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. Aldridge was selected second overall in the 2006 NBA draft. After spending nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015. In March 2021, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets after the Spurs bought out his contract. He retired after two weeks due to an irregular heartbeat, but returned to the Nets the following season after receiving medical clearance.
Jaren Walter Jackson Sr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Incarnate Word Cardinals of the Southland Conference. A shooting guard born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jackson played at Georgetown University from 1985 to 1989 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance. He was never drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) but played 13 seasons for multiple teams. He is best known for his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs, who he helped win their first NBA championship in 1999.
The 1998–99 NBA season was the San Antonio Spurs' 32nd season as a franchise, the team's 26th season in San Antonio, and the team's 23rd season in the National Basketball Association. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Spurs' 14th season in the National Basketball Association, and 23rd season as a franchise. This marked the first NBA season for David Robinson, who was selected by the Spurs as the first overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft. In the 1989 NBA draft, the team had the third overall pick, and selected Sean Elliott from the University of Arizona, and acquired All-Star forward Terry Cummings from the Milwaukee Bucks, and acquired All-Star guard Maurice Cheeks and David Wingate from the Philadelphia 76ers during the off-season. The Spurs held a 32–14 record at the All-Star break, finished with a franchise-best 56–26 regular season record, first place in the Midwest Division, and surpassing the 53-win season of 1982–83.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Spurs' 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Dale Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks, signed free agents Vinny Del Negro and undrafted rookie guard Lloyd Daniels, and re-signed Avery Johnson after a brief stint with the Houston Rockets. However, prior to the start of the season, Terry Cummings suffered a serious knee injury during a pick-up game, and only played in the final eight games of the season.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the San Antonio Spurs' 24th season in the National Basketball Association, their 27th season as the Spurs, and their 33rd season as a franchise. After having won their first NBA championship in 1999, where they defeated the #8 seed New York Knicks in five games, the Spurs signed free agents Terry Porter, Samaki Walker and Chucky Brown during the off-season. However, prior to the season, Sean Elliott was diagnosed with a kidney disorder, and missed the first four months of the season; he would then receive a kidney transplant from his brother, Noel. The Spurs were originally scheduled to play two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves overseas in Tokyo, Japan in November during the first month of the regular season, but because they won the NBA championship, they were obligated to play in the McDonald's Championship in Milan, Italy in October.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the Spurs' 25th season in the National Basketball Association, their 28th season in San Antonio, and their 34th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs signed free agents Derek Anderson, and Danny Ferry. All-Star forward Tim Duncan had nearly signed a free agent deal with the Orlando Magic, but decided to stay with the Spurs. The team got off to a 13–9 start, then won ten of their next twelve games, and held a 31–16 record at the All-Star break. The Spurs continued to be among the NBA's elite teams, winning 23 of their final 29 games to recapture the Midwest Division with a 58–24 record, which was the best record in the league, while posting a league best 33–8 record at home.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the Spurs' 26th season in the National Basketball Association, the 29th in San Antonio, and 35th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Steve Smith from the Portland Trail Blazers, and signed free agents Bruce Bowen, second-year guard Stephen Jackson, and Charles Smith, and drafted French basketball star Tony Parker with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. This was also the Spurs' last season at the Alamodome, as they moved into the brand new SBC Center the next season.