NBA.com: Sean Elliott Bio

Explosive and graceful, All-Star forward Sean Elliott has been an exciting player to watch since his days at the University of Arizona, although he was hampered in 1996-97 and 1997-98 by tendinitis in his right and left quadriceps. After starting all 50 games in the Spurs' 1998-99 championship season, Elliott underwent a kidney transplant that left the future of his basketball career in question. A native of Tucson, Arizona Elliott finished his college career as the all-time leading scorer in Pac-10 Conference history, breaking the record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As a senior in 1988-89 Elliott averaged 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists and was named national player of the year in at least five polls. As a junior he averaged 19.6 points and 5.8 rebounds to earn a First-Team All-America selection. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Final Four that season. The San Antonio Spurs selected Elliott with the third overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. He enjoyed a solid rookie season, averaging 10.0 points and earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, but he wasn't the only high-profile newcomer in San Antonio that year. David Robinson, who had been drafted in 1987 but spent two years in the Navy, was also a rookie in 1989-90, and All-Star forward Terry Cummings arrived in a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks. Together, the three sparked the Spurs to a 56-26 record and the Midwest Division title. Elliott upped his scoring average in each of the next three seasons, to 15.9, 16.3 and 17.2 points per game, respectively. He was a full-time starter at small forward and didn't miss a single game in his second and third years. By 1992-93, his fourth season, he was one of the league's better all-around players and earned a spot on the Western Conference All-Star Team. Always difficult to defend off the dribble, he honed his outside shot and canned 37-of-104 three-point attempts in 1992-93. In the 1993 offseason Elliott was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that brought Dennis Rodman to San Antonio. Elliott sold his house to Rodman and moved to Detroit, but the 1993-94 season proved to be the most frustrating of his career. Battling injuries and illness throughout the year, he averaged just 12.1 points on .455 shooting from the field. Things got so bad that he was traded to the Houston Rockets at midseason for Robert Horry, but the trade was later nullified by the Rockets because Elliott was discovered to have a chronic kidney condition. Houston went on to win the NBA Championship, while Detroit finished at an abysmal 20-62. Coming off a disappointing season and with his physical state in question, Elliott's career seemed to be in trouble. In the offseason the Pistons dumped him back to San Antonio in exchange for first-round draft pick Bill Curley. As it turned out, Elliott's return to San Antonio rejuvenated his career. He averaged 18.1 points in 1994-95 and nailed 136 of 333 three-point buckets for a .408 percentage, 18th in the league. The Spurs posted the league's best record and advanced to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Houston Rockets. He regained his All-Star status in 1995-96 when he enjoyed the best season of his pro career, averaging a career-high 20.0 ppg which ranked 20th in the NBA and sinking a career-high 161 three-pointers. It marked the fifth season with San Antonio that his scoring average has gone up--the only time it went down was when he was traded to Detroit. Elliott was bothered throughout the 1996-97 season by chronic tendinitis in his right quadriceps, finally undergoing surgery on February 18 and missing the remainder of the year. He played in just 39 games, averaging 14.9 ppg. The following season was just as troublesome -- he played in just 36 games, averaging 9.3 ppg, and did not play after January 21 following surgery to repair his left quadriceps tendon. He bounced back to start all 50 games in 1998-99, helping the Spurs win their first NBA title by averaging 11.2 points per game, third on the team. He became the franchise's all-time leader in three-pointers at Minnesota on February 9 and scored his 10,000th career point at Portland on May 4, but he is perhaps best remembered for his three-point shot while nearly falling out of bounds with 9.9 seconds remaining that enabled the Spurs to beat Portland 86-85 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. That win held the home-court advantage for the Spurs, who went on to sweep the demoralized Blazers.

2000-2001 REGULAR SEASON
Appeared in 52 games, averaging 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.7 minutes...Shot 43.4% from the field, 42.6% from three-point land and 71.4% from the line...Ranked 11th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage...Missed 30 of 37 games from 1/9 to 3/22 due to a pair of injuries...First suffered a small tear of his right rotator cuff on 1/6 vs. Detroit...Placed on injured list on 1/9 and missed the next 20 games...Activated on 2/21...Over the enxt nine games was forced to sit out two and averaged just 3 points and 11.7 minutes in the seven games he played...Sat from 3/9 to 3/22 (8 games) due to a sore left I/T Band...saw limited minutes in each of the team's final 13 games, averaging 4.9 points and 17.1 minutes in that span...Scored in double-figures 15 times (including seven straight from 11/22 to 12/5)...Scored a season-high 19 points two times (in back-to-back games)...Had 19 points and four rebounds in a season-high 39 minutes on 12/1 at the LA Lakers and then finished with 19 points and 5 boards at Vancover on 12/3

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Scored 15 points in a 106-83 win over Utah on 4/15 Netted 13 points in a 98-92 OT win at Sacramento on 4/11 Activated from the injured list on 3/13, after missing the Spurs' first 63 games following a kidney transplant in August 1999

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Was one of three Spurs to start all 50 games and scored in double figures in 32 games Scored his 10,000th career point, recording 12 points and 3 rebounds, in an 87-81 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on 5/4 Totaled a team-high 19 points (8-13 FG), 6 rebounds and 3 steals in a 92-93 victory over the Houston Rockets on 4/8 Posted 18 points (4-4 3FG), 5 rebounds and 3 assists against the Toronto Raptors on 3/26 Registered 19 points (7-10 FG, 4-4 FT) and 6 rebounds in a 121-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings on 3/16 Recorded 18 points (3-5 3FG) and 6 rebounds in a 92-61 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 3/13 Hit the game-winning 18-footer at the buzzer, totaling 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 99-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on 3/12 Posted 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against the L.A. Lakers on 2/19 Registered a game-high 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a 96-82 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 2/6

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 1/21 and underwent surgery on 1/27 to repair damage to his left quadriceps tendon and is expected to be sidelined for at least two months Posted a season-high 23 points (8-13 FG, 4-7 3FG, 3-4 FT) and 6 rebounds in a 124-115 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 12/30 Registered 20 points and 3 assists in a 100-87 victory over the Houston Rockets on 12/20 Recorded 19 points (8-13 FG) and 4 rebounds in a 102-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 11/25 Scored 18 points (7-8 FG, 2-2 FT), in 21 minutes, in a 108-87 win over the Golden State Warriors on 11/19 Scored 17 points (6-7 FG, 4-4 3FG) in a 100-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 11/10

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Chronic tendinitis in his right quadriceps plagued Elliott throughout 1996-97. He played most of the first half of the season with the injury, missing five games in the first 44, before finally deciding to undergo surgery on Feb. 18. He sat out the remaining 38 games of the year. In his 39 games, all starts, Elliott averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 35.7 minutes per game, shooting .422 from the field and .333 from three-point range. Despite his shortened season, his 42 three-pointers ranked fifth on the team. He scored in double figures in 33 of his 39 games, leading the team eight times. He tallied a season-high 29 points in a 101-88 victory over Phoenix on Dec. 21, and scored 27 in a 120-109 loss to Portland on Nov. 27.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Elliott enjoyed a banner season in 1995-96, regaining his All-Star status as one of the finest small forwards in the game. He averaged a career-high 20.0 ppg, ranking 20th in the NBA and third among small forwards. He shot .466 from the field, .771 from the line and a solid .411 on 161-for-392 from three-point range. The latter ranked 21st in the NBA, and both the percentage and the 161 treys were a career high. The versatile forward also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 37.7 minutes per game. Elliott scored 20 points or more 41 times and 30 points or more eight times, twice his 1994-95 total, with a season-high 36 points at Boston on Feb. 7. He scored 35 points at New Jersey on March 25. In each of those games he also grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds. He led the team in scoring 24 times, after leading the team nine times in 1994-95. Interestingly, Elliott's scoring average has improved each of the five seasons he remained in San Antonio, going from 10.0 to 15.9 to 16.3 to 17.2 to 18.1 to 20.0 ppg. The only year it went down was 1993-94, when he was traded to Detroit and his mark dipped to 12.1 ppg. Elliott had 13 points and three rebounds for the West All-Stars at the midwinter classic, which was played at San Antonio's Alamodome. In the playoffs he averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists, starting all 10 of the Spurs' postseason contests.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Elliott had a comeback year in more than one respect. First, he came back to San Antonio after a season in Detroit when the Pistons traded him back to the Spurs on July 18 in exchange for the rights to first-round draft pick Bill Curley and a second-round pick in 1997. In addition, Elliott bounced back from a disappointing 1993-94 season to post an excellent year. He averaged 18.1 points, second on the team to league MVP David Robinson and 18th in the NBA. His three-point proficiency made him an inside-outside threat, as he nailed 136 three-pointers and ranked 18th in the league in three-point percentage at .408. Elliott's all-around play was a nice complement to the inside play of Robinson and Dennis Rodman. Elliott topped 30 points three times during the year and hit 7 three-pointers on March 27 at Detroit. The Spurs finished with the NBA's best record at 62-20. In the playoffs the top-seeded Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets in three games in the first round and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the conference semifinals before falling to the Houston Rockets in six games in the conference finals. Elliott averaged 17.3 points in the postseason.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
Elliott was traded before, during, and after the 1993-94 season and wound up back where he started. On October 1 the San Antonio Spurs sent him to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that brought rebounding king Dennis Rodman to San Antonio. It was a difficult move for Elliott, who knew that the Spurs were on the verge of championship contention while the Pistons were in the middle of a rebuilding program. On February 4 Elliott was traded back to Texas-this time to the Houston Rockets-for Robert Horry, Matt Bullard, and a couple of second-round draft choices. Because of a kidney condition detected by Rockets medical personnel, however, Elliott failed a physical in Houston and the trade was rescinded two days later. Elliott subsequently took a week-long leave from the Pistons to evaluate his condition. He returned to Detroit on February 15 and finished out the season. In 73 appearances the former All-Star averaged 12.1 points and shot .455 from the floor. At season's end the Pistons traded Elliott back to San Antonio for the draft rights to Bill Curley and a future second-round pick.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Elliott began the 1992-93 season in a blaze, playing a whopping 41.7 minutes per game in November and then averaging 22.8 points in December. A gifted open-court player, he blossomed even more when John Lucas replaced Jerry Tarkanian as the San Antonio Spurs' head coach 20 games into the season. Lucas gave Elliott more freedom on the court, and by February, Western Conference coaches had taken notice, voting him to a reserve spot on the 1993 West All-Star Team. Elliott finished the year averaging a career-high 17.2 points, second on the team to David Robinson's 23.4. He missed 12 games during the year because of back injuries, including one 8-game stretch that saw a disoriented Spurs team post a 2-6 record. San Antonio finished at 49-33 and runner-up to the Houston Rockets in the Midwest Division. The Spurs pushed past the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, then were dumped in six games by the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals. Elliott played in all 10 postseason games and averaged 15.8 points and 4.8 rebounds.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
Elliott continued to show his durability as the only Spurs player to appear in all 82 games. Playing a franchise-record 3,120 minutes for the season, he averaged 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds and shot .494 from the field. He scored in double figures 71 times, hitting for 20 or more points in 25 games and scoring at least 30 twice. The third-year forward poured in 33 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 9. He grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds on January 4 against the Houston Rockets and had a season-high 8 assists on January 10 against the Warriors at Golden State. Elliott hit his stride in the final six games of the season, averaging 22.0 points on .554 shooting, with 5.7 rebounds per game. Both David Robinson and Willie Anderson went down with injuries as the season ended and didn't play in the postseason. Left to fend for himself, Elliott averaged 19.7 points in 45.7 minutes per game during the playoffs, but the Spurs fell to the Phoenix Suns in a first-round series sweep.

1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
The lone Spurs player to start all 82 games, Elliott improved his scoring average to 15.9 points per game while shooting .490 from the field in only his second NBA season. The Spurs were on the rise in every regard, with David Robinson earning selection to both the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. With a 55-27 regular-season record, San Antonio brought high expectations into the 1991 NBA Playoffs, but the Spurs suffered a stunning upset at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in a four-game first-round series. Elliott averaged 14.8 points during the postseason.

1989-1990 REGULAR SEASON
Sean Elliott left the University of Arizona as a two-time All-American and the Wildcats' all-time scoring leader (2,555 points). He ranked first on the Pac-10 career scoring list at the time but has since been passed by Don MacLean, who had 2,608 points in four seasons at UCLA. The San Antonio Spurs chose Elliott with the third overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft, and because David Robinson had spent a two-year stint in the Navy after San Antonio drafted him in 1987, both he and Elliott joined the Spurs in the same season-quite a 1-2 rookie punch. San Antonio immediately reversed its fortunes, going from 21-61 in 1988-89 to 56-26 in 1989-90. Elliott started 69 of 81 contests for the Spurs and poured in a season-high 24 points against the Denver Nuggets on March 10. He shot .866 from the free-throw line, ranking first on the Spurs and 19th in the NBA. He sat out a January 13 game against the New York Knicks, the only game Elliott would miss in his first three NBA seasons. At season's end Elliott was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, joining Charlotte's J. R. Reid, Chicago's Stacey King, Utah's Blue Edwards, and Miami's Glen Rice. San Antonio won the Midwest Division title and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, in which the Portland Trail Blazers dealt the Spurs a seven-game series loss. Elliott appeared in all 10 postseason games and averaged 12.7 points on .552 field-goal shooting.