Pervis Ellison

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.

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Pervis Ellison

Ellison at the 1987 Pan American Games
Personal information
Born	(1967-04-03) April 3, 1967 (age 57) Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Savannah (Savannah, Georgia)
College	Louisville (1985–1989)
NBA draft	1989: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career	1989–2000
Position	Center
Number	42, 43, 29
Career history
1989–1990	Sacramento Kings
1990–1994	Washington Bullets
1994–2000	Boston Celtics
2000	Seattle SuperSonics
Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Improved Player (1992) NCAA champion (1986) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1986) Consensus first-team All-American (1989) Metro Conference Co-Player of the Year (1988) 3× First-team All-Metro Conference (1987–1989) No. 42 retired by Louisville Cardinals
Career NBA statistics
Points	4,494 (9.5 ppg)
Rebounds	3,170 (6.7 rpg)
Assists	691 (1.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Pan American Games 1987 Indianapolis Team competition

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At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), 242 lb (110 kg), he started all four years as the center under coach Denny Crum. In his freshman year he led Louisville to its second national championship, scoring a game-leading 25 points and adding 11 rebounds in the 72-69 championship win over Duke,^[1] and was then named the Most Outstanding Player—the second time a freshman had ever been awarded that honor, after Arnie Ferrin in 1944 for Utah.

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.^[2] Although he sometimes played as a backup in 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 and 30 games in 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 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^[3] and is a resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey.^[4] His son Malik played for him at Life Center Academy and is a professional basketball player.^[5]

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds