Malik Ellison (born August 17, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Kauhajoen Karhu of the Korisliiga. He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm, the Pittsburgh Panthers, and the Hartford Hawks.

Malik Ellison
Ellison in 2017
Personal information
Born (1996-08-17) August 17, 1996 (age 28)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolLife Center Academy
(Burlington, New Jersey)
College
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
PositionShooting guard
Number8
Career history
20212023College Park Skyhawks
2023-presentKauhajoen Karhu
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Raised in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, Ellison was nicknamed “Missile,” and attended Life Center Academy in Burlington.[1] He missed the beginning of his senior season with a broken tibia, not returning to the court until December 2014.[2] In January 2015, Ellison scored 28 points and tallied in a 60–54 win against Orangeville Prep at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.[3] As a senior, he averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Ellison committed to playing college basketball for St. John's, choosing the Red Storm over offers from Maryland, Seton Hall, Temple, Xavier and South Carolina.[1]

College career

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Ellison started nine games as a freshman and averaged 7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.[4] As a sophomore, Ellison averaged 7.4 points and 2.5 assists per game. He transferred to Pittsburgh after the season.[5] Ellison made 16 starts as a junior and averaged 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.[6] He provided energetic defense on the perimeter but struggled with his shooting, hitting 44.5 percent of his attempts from the floor, and his production declined during Atlantic Coast Conference play. Following the season, he transferred to Hartford as a graduate transfer.[7] Ellison missed the start of his senior season due to a sprained ankle.[8] On January 25, 2020, he scored a career-high 31 points and had 12 rebounds in a 62–48 win over Albany.[9] As a senior, Ellison averaged 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and scored in double figures in all but three games. He was named to the First Team All-America East as well as receiving NABC All-District 1 honors.[10]

Professional career

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College Park Skyhawks (2021–2023)

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After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Ellison signed his first professional contract with BC Kolín of the Czech National Basketball League on September 29, 2021.[11] However, he didn't play for them because he joined the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League the next month.[12] In 14 games, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game (.505 FG%, .423 3FG%, .640 FT%).[13]

On December 25, 2021, Ellison signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks[13] but did not appear in a game for the team during this stint. On January 4, 2022, Ellison was reacquired by the Skyhawks.[14]

On September 16, 2022, Ellison signed with Atlanta,[15] but was waived on October 9.[16] On October 22, he re-signed with College Park.[17]

Kauhajoen Karhu (2023)

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On August 28, 2023, Ellison signed with Kauhajoen Karhu of the Korisliiga.[18]

On October 30, 2023, Ellison joined the Santa Cruz Warriors,[19] but was waived on November 18 without playing for them.[20]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 St. John's 24 9 21.3 .369 .318 .653 2.5 2.6 .4 .1 7.3
2016–17 St. John's 33 26 24.8 .419 .341 .595 3.3 2.5 .9 .2 7.4
2017–18 Pittsburgh   Redshirt
2018–19 Pittsburgh 31 16 21.0 .445 .188 .541 3.8 1.2 .6 .3 5.8
2019–20 Hartford 23 23 35.0 .514 .154 .630 9.7 1.7 .8 1.1 18.7
Career 111 74 25.1 .455 .304 .612 4.6 2.0 .7 .4 9.3

Personal life

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Ellison is the son of Pervis Ellison, who was the top pick in the 1989 NBA draft. His mother Timi, ran track in college. Ellison's sister Aja played basketball at Maryland and helped the team reach the Final Four. Another sister, Seattle, attended Howard University on a track scholarship.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Catching Up With.....Malik Ellison". Savannah Herald. May 4, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Johnson, Raphielle (May 1, 2015). "2015 shooting guard Malik Ellison commits to St. John's". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Halley, Jim (January 18, 2015). "Son of Pervis Ellison not nervous about making a name for himself". USA Today. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Payne, Terrence (September 18, 2016). "St. John's guard nails full-court shot". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Goodman, Jeff (May 3, 2017). "St. John's guard Malik Ellison transferring to Pittsburgh". ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Stockey, Andrew (April 3, 2019). "Pitt's Malik Ellison to Transfer". WTAE. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Meyer, Craig (April 3, 2019). "Pitt junior and team captain Malik Ellison to graduate, transfer from the university". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Anthony, Mike (November 5, 2019). "Mike Anthony: Malik Ellison, son of 'Never Nervous Pervis,' possibly the 'bear' Hartford basketball needs". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "Ellison scores 31 to lift Hartford over Albany (NY) 62-48". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "Senior Salute: Malik Ellison". Hartford Hawks. April 14, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "Ellison Signs with Kolin, Beginning His Pro Career". EuroBasket.com. September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "11/05/21: Maine Celtics @ College Park Skyhawks". NBA.com. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Hawks Sign Cat Barber and Malik Ellison to 10-day Contracts". NBA.com. December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  15. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sign Guard Malik Ellison". NBA.com. September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  16. ^ Atlanta Hawks [@ATLHawks] (October 9, 2022). "Roster Update: We have requested waivers on guards Armoni Brooks, Malik Ellison, Tyson Etienne, and forward Chris Silva" (Tweet). Retrieved October 9, 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "College Park Skyhawks Finalize Training Camp Schedule and Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. October 22, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  18. ^ "KARHUBASKET ALOITTI HARJOITUSPELIT RUOTSISSA". KarhuBasket.fi (in Finnish). August 28, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  19. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Announce 2023 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "2023-2024 Santa Cruz Warriors Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
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