Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American and first-team Parade All-American. He entered the NBA directly out of high school, being drafted with the 40th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2005 NBA draft. In 2007, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player. During his time with the Warriors, Ellis was one of the best scorers in the league, averaging close to 25 points per game on two occasions. After six and a half seasons with Golden State, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in March 2012. A season and a half with the Bucks was followed by two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. High school career Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi. As a senior in 2004–05, at 19 years old, Ellis led Lanier to its second state crown in four years, averaging 38.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 4.5 steals per game for a team that finished 35–2 and No. 3 in the FAB 50 national rankings. During his senior season, Ellis scored 65 points against Greenwood. The schools met again later that season, where Ellis had 72 points, a mark tied for second on the all-time state charts. He also had 46 points against Oak Hill Academy. For his efforts, Ellis was named 2005 EA SPORTS National Player of the Year and Parade co-Player of the Year with Greg Oden. Ellis led Lanier to a 129–16 record in his four seasons as a starter, winning the 4A state championship in both 2002 (33–5) and 2005 and runner-up finishes in 2003 (31–4) and 2004 (30–5). He finished ranked second in state history with 4,167 points, good for 28.7 points per game. Ellis originally committed to Mississippi State University, but later decided to enter the NBA draft. Professional career