Melvin Ely

Melvin Ely

Center / Power forward
Personal information
Born	May 2, 1978 (1978-05-02) (age 33) Harvey, Illinois
Nationality	American
High school	Thornton Township (Harvey, Illinois)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	261 lb (118 kg)
Career information
College	Fresno State (1998–2002)
NBA Draft	2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Pro career	2002–present
Career history
2002–2004	Los Angeles Clippers
2004–2007	Charlotte Bobcats
2007	San Antonio Spurs
2007–2009	New Orleans Hornets
2009–2011	Denver Nuggets
2012–present	Brujos de Guayama
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (2007) 2× WAC Player of the Year (2001–2002)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men’s Basketball Competitor for  United States Summer Universiade Bronze 2001 Beijing Team competition

Melvin Anderson Ely (born May 2, 1978 in Harvey, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player.

A 6'10", 261 lb (118 kg), forward-center from Fresno State, Ely was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round (12th overall pick) of the 2002 NBA Draft. At Fresno State, he enjoyed a prolific career under the coaching of Jerry Tarkanian.

High school

While attending Harvey Thornton High School, Ely earned All-American honors from McDonald's and Parade. As a senior in 1997, he averaged 15.5 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game and 5.2 blocked shots per game during the regular season and was named the Chicago Sun-Times player of the year and first team all-state. Ely led his Wildcats to a second-place finish in 1995 and 1996 and third-place in 1997. During Ely's 3 years as a starter, Thornton Township posted a combined record of 93 wins and 4 losses, including marks of 32-1 in 1997, 31-1 in 1996 and 30-2 in 1995.^[1]

In 2007, Ely was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament," recognizing his superior performance in his appearances in the tournament.^[2]

College

Under the guidance of coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State, Ely led the Bulldogs to two NCAA tournament appearances in 2000 and 2001. He also won the WAC Player of the Year award in two consecutive seasons in 2001 and 2002.

Professional career

After two seasons in Los Angeles with limited playing time, Ely was traded by the Clippers along with teammate Eddie House on July 14, 2004 to the Charlotte Bobcats for two second-round draft picks in 2005 and 2006. During the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons, Ely rejuvenated his career as a prominent reserve role player. On October 2, 2006, he rejected offers from the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns to sign a one-year, $3 million contract to remain with the Bobcats.^[3]

On February 13, 2007, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for forward Eric Williams and a second-round draft pick in 2009.^[4] He played only 6 games for the Spurs averaging 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. He did not play for the Spurs in the playoffs yet he still won the championship ring.

In the 2007 offseason, Ely signed with the New Orleans Hornets.^[5] It was formally announced on September 12 that it was a two-year contract.^[6]

In 2012, Ely signed with the Brujos de Guayama of Puerto Rico.^[7]

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

• NBA.com Profile - Melvin Ely