Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who starred as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, where he had a standout career as a two-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, winner of the 1989 John R. Wooden Award, the 1989 Adolph Rupp Trophy, the 1989

NABC Player of the Year The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball across the three largest college athletic associations in the United States. Th ...

, 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 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

, was a two-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

, and earned an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. His No. 32 is retired by both the

and the

San Antonio Spurs 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 (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Early life

Elliott was born in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, 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.

College

After graduating in 1985, he remained in Tucson to play college basketball at the

. Under the tutelage of

Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...

, 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 sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

in his junior year (1988). Elliott broke Lew Alcindor's (

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

) 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. Sean Elliott - Arizona Wildcats

He played for the US national team in the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was hel ...

, winning the gold medal.

NCAA career statistics

, - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, 32 , , ... , , 33.7 , , .486 , , ... , , .749 , , 5.3 , , 2.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 30 , , ... , , 34.9 , , .510 , , .371 , , .770 , , 6.0 , , 3.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 19.3 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 38 , , ... , , 32.9 , , .570 , , .471 , , .793 , , 5.8 , , 3.6 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 19.6 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , ... , , 34.1 , , .480 , , .504 , , .841 , , 7.2 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 22.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , ... , 133 , , ... , , 33.8 , , .512 , , .456 , , .793 , , 6.1 , , 3.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 19.2 , -

NBA career

San Antonio Spurs (1989–1993)

Elliott was drafted by the

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 The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in the first round before falling to the eventual Western Conference Champion

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

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 The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

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 The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. During the 1992–93 season, Elliott averaged 17.2 points per game, including a career-high 41 points against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

on December 18, 1992. He was named to play in the

1993 NBA All-Star Game The 1993 NBA All-Star Game took place on February 21, 1993, and was an exhibition game played between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, home of the Utah Jazz. This was the 43rd edition N ...

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.

Detroit Pistons (1993–1994)

Elliott spent the 1993–94 season with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

after being traded for

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

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. After the trade was voided, Elliott held a press conference and announced that he had a kidney problem. 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.

Return to San Antonio Spurs (1994–1998)

In the 1994–1995 season, the Spurs won 62 games under the leadership of Elliott and the season's

NBA Most Valuable Player The NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jor ...

Robinson. The Spurs clinched the top seed in the Western Conference, and swept the

in the first round before facing the young

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

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.

NBA championship, kidney transplant, and comeback (1998–2001)

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 Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before declaring for the draft in 1995. ...

. 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 The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

and faced the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. 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 Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

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. Elliott also disclosed that he had been aware of his kidney ailment since 1993. 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, Elliott became the first professional athlete to return to his sport after the kidney transplant. 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.

Retirement

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).

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 81 , , 69 , , 25.1 , , .481 , , .111 , , .866 , , 3.7 , , 1.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.1 , , .490 , , .313 , , .808 , , 5.6 , , 2.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 15.9 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 38.0 , , .494 , , .305 , , .861 , , 5.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 16.3 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 70 , , 37.2 , , .491 , , .356 , , .798 , , 4.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 17.2 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 73 , , 73 , , 33.0 , , .455 , , .299 , , .803 , , 3.6 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 12.1 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 81 , , 35.3 , , .468 , , .408 , , .807 , , 3.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 18.1 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , 77 , , 37.7 , , .466 , , .411 , , .771 , , 5.1 , , 2.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 20.0 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

, 39 , , 39 , , 35.7 , , .422 , , .333 , , .755 , , 4.9 , , 3.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

, 36 , , 36 , , 28.1 , , .403 , , .378 , , .718 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1998–99† , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 30.2 , , .410 , , .328 , , .757 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , 1999–2000 , align="left" ,

, 19 , , 19 , , 20.6 , , .358 , , .351 , , .781 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 34 , , 23.6 , , .434 , , .426 , , .714 , , 3.3 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 7.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 742 , , 712 , , 33.0 , , .465 , , .375 , , .800 , , 4.3 , , 2.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 14.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 18.5 , , .333 , , .333 , , .800 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 29.1 , , .552 , , .000 , , .724 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" ,

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 33.0 , , .425 , , .000 , , .781 , , 5.5 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 14.8 , - , align="left" ,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 45.7 , , .475 , , .625 , , .889 , , 4.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 19.7 , - , align="left" ,

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 38.1 , , .472 , , .214 , , .925 , , 4.8 , , 3.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 15.8 , - , align="left" ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, align="left" ,

, 15 , , 15 , , 38.3 , , .435 , , .364 , , .776 , , 4.8 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 38.9 , , .402 , , .294 , , .797 , , 3.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" ,

† , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 17 , , 33.8 , , .444 , , .400 , , .763 , , 3.4 , , 2.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 29.8 , , .375 , , .385 , , .625 , , 5.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 19.9 , , .373 , , .364 , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 4.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 85 , , 73 , , 33.4 , , .445 , , .356 , , .801 , , 4.0 , , 2.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 13.2

Post-NBA

After retiring, Elliott became a basketball analyst for ''The

NBA on NBC Television broadcasts of the National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by NBC Sports has aired on American broadcast network NBC under the ''NBA on NBC'' branding throughout three incarnations in its history. The NBA was first telev ...

'' and, during the 2003–2004 season, for

ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial America ...

and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. 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 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...

, calling his first college basketball game with the network. 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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Sean 1968 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 1986 FIBA World Championship players Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Goodwill Games gold medalists All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players Basketball players from Tucson, Arizona Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Detroit Pistons players FIBA World Championship–winning players Kidney transplant recipients McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade NBA All-Stars NBA players with retired numbers San Antonio Spurs announcers San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Small forwards United States men's national basketball team players Summer World University Games medalists in basketball FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States