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Dale Ellis is a retired American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association.
After his time at the University of Tennessee, Ellis was selected ninth overall in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. His time as a shooting guard with the Mavericks was rather unremarkable as he played scant minutes and was often relegated to sitting on the bench.
Ellis' fortunes changed dramatically after he found himself traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Al Wood on July 23, 1986. His playing time increased significantly, and his regular season scoring average reflected this as it jumped from 7.1 points per game with the Mavericks to 24.9 points per game with the SuperSonics. Ellis' rise with the SuperSonics was recognized around the league, which awarded him the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1987.
Ellis continued to star for the SuperSonics in the late 1980s, with his scoring average topping out at 27.5 point per game during the 1988-89 season. The 2,253 points he scored that season broke Spencer Haywood's franchise record of 2,251 and remained the SuperSonics/Thunder record until Kevin Durant broke it in 2009-10. Ellis was selected to the NBA All-Star Game during the same season, and scored 27 points for the West. In all, Ellis spent four and a half seasons with the SuperSonics before once again being traded, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks for Ricky Pierce.
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