Pervis Ellison

Who is Pervis Ellison?

Pervis Ellison is an American former NBA basketball player.

Ellison was nicknamed "Never Nervous Pervis" for his play with the University of Louisville. At 6 ft 9 in and 242 lb, he started all four years as the center under coach Denny Crum. In his freshman year he led Louisville to its second national championship and was 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. 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. Although he was assigned as a backup in 1990-1991, the following year he became a starter and earned Most Improved Player honors after averaging 20.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.68 blocks per game.

Assorted injuries plagued his career, including two knee problems that kept him benched for 29 games in 1992–1993 and 30 games in 1993–1994. As a free agent, Ellison signed with the Boston Celtics in 1994 but did not play until midway through the season because he was still rehabilitating from knee problems.