Devin Thomas (born November 15, 1986) is an American football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.

Thomas has also played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants, winning Super Bowl XLVI with the latter team.

Early years[link]

Thomas attended and played high school football for Canton High School in Canton, Michigan. As a senior he played WR, RB and CB, for Division 1 (Class A) Canton High School. He was named All-State after rushing and receiving for over 1,000 yards and 23 touchdowns and also had seven interceptions all in his senior year.

College career[link]

Thomas attended Coffeyville Community College, where he redshirted in 2004 and played as a freshman in 2005. As a sophomore at Michigan State he had only six catches. Under head coach Mark Dantonio, Thomas played well his junior year with 79 catches, a school record, for 1,260 yards, and eight touchdowns. Thomas decided to forgo his senior year at Michigan State and declare himself eligibile for the 2008 draft.

Professional career[link]

Washington Redskins[link]

Thomas was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round (34th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. On July 18, he agreed to a four-year 4.8 million contract that included roughly $2.7 million in guaranteed money. Thomas is represented by Drew Rosenhaus. In 2008, Thomas won the NFL Rookie's Madden Bowl, defeating future Bears teammate Matt Forté.

The Redskins utilized Thomas a good deal on special teams, mainly on kickoffs. While his playing time on offense grew from 2008 to 2009, his production was limited. In 2008, he amassed 173 yards of total offense and one touchdown (rushing). In 2009, his production marginally improved to 323 yards and three touchdowns (all receiving), with a career game December 6, 2009 against the New Orleans Saints of more than 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Through four games in 2010, under new head coach Mike Shanahan, Thomas amassed no offensive statistics, though he continued to play on special teams.^[1]

Thomas was waived by the Redskins on October 9, 2010.

Carolina Panthers[link]

Thomas was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on October 11, 2010, then waived again on November 23, 2010.^[2] With the Panthers for five games, Thomas played only in their 37-13 home loss on November 21, 2010 to the Baltimore Ravens and recorded no statistics.^[1]

New York Giants[link]

On November 24, 2010, Thomas was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.^[4] To make roster room for Thomas, the Giants placed fullback Madison Hedgecock on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.^[5] Thomas wore #8 in his first game as a Giant versus Jacksonville because the Giants have no more numbers available.^[6] During the team's December 5, 2010 game against the Redskins, Thomas made his first impact as a Giant. On special teams, Thomas had two tackles, including one at the Redskins' 20-yard line, and he blocked a Hunter Smith punt in the fourth quarter, giving the Giants the ball on the Redskins 13-yard line.^[7] On January 22, 2012, Thomas made a huge impact in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, as he recovered two pivotal fumbles, one of which occurred in overtime to set up the winning score that took the Giants to Super Bowl XLVI.

Chicago Bears[link]

On March 28, 2012 Thomas signed with the Chicago Bears on a one year contract.^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Michigan State Spartans bio
• New York Giants bio

Monta Ellis

Ellis with the Warriors
No. 11 – Milwaukee Bucks
Guard
Personal information
Born	(1985-10-26) October 26, 1985 (age 26) Jackson, Mississippi
Nationality	American
High school	Lanier High School Jackson, Mississippi
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2005 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40th overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career	2005–present
Career history
2005–2012	Golden State Warriors
2012–present	Milwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Improved Player (2007)
Stats at NBA.com

Monta Ellis (pronounced "MON-tay", born October 26, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who plays the shooting guard and point guard positions for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ellis entered the 2005 NBA Draft after graduating from Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Golden State Warriors drafted him in the second round. He is known for his spectacular speed, earning him the nickname "The Mississippi Missile", and also for being a prolific scorer, capable of making difficult shots.

High school career[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Ellis' attended Lanier High School in Jackson where he was named Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year 2005 (along with Greg Oden) and a USA Today All-American.^[1] He had committed to Mississippi State University before opting for the NBA in 2005.

At Lanier H.S., Ellis scored a career-best 72 points in a game against Greenwood High School. As a junior, he scored 42 points in a 80–75 loss against renowned high school basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, then the #1-ranked prep-basketball team in the country by USA Today, and their future NBA duo that consisted of point guard Rajon Rondo and forward Josh Smith, in front of a capacity crowd at the Marshall County Hoopfest in Benton, KY. His 42 points was the most ever scored against Oak Hill by an opposing player. In his senior season he scored 42 points in a game against South Gwinnett High School in which he was guarded by Louis Williams, at the Coliseum. He led Lanier to a 129–16 record in his four seasons as a starter (2002–2005), winning the 4A state championship in 2002 (33–5) and 2005 (35–2, ranked #12 nationally by USA Today) and runner-up finishes in 2003 (31–4) and 2004 (30–5). He scored a total of 4,167 points in his prep career, making him second all-time in Mississippi history. He received first-team all-state recognition from the Clarion-Ledger in all four of his high school seasons and was named Mississippi's "Mr. Basketball" by the paper in 2005.^[2]

NBA career[link]

Golden State Warriors (2005-12)[link]

Monta was drafted by the Warriors in the second round (40th overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft. Ellis was inserted into the starting lineup late in the 2005–06 NBA season, along with fellow rookie Ike Diogu. He scored his first points on December 7, 2005 against the Phoenix Suns on a 3-point shot.^[3] He was highly regarded as one of the players to watch during the 2006 summer league, but was unable to compete due to knee problems. After receiving very little playing time as a rookie, Ellis improved immensely coming into his second year and began to show great potential. During the 2007 NBA Draft, the Warriors traded Jason Richardson and second-round draft pick Jermareo Davidson to the Charlotte Bobcats for lottery pick Brandan Wright. The trade freed up about $10 million in salary cap space for the Warriors with which they could sign Ellis as well as teammate Andris Biedriņš to extended contracts^[4][5] and allowed Ellis more time at the shooting guard spot. In his third season, Ellis became one of the Warriors' top performers, becoming a clutch player and pulling them through close games.

On July 25, 2008, Ellis signed a six-year, $67 million contract extension with the Warriors, making him the highest paid player on the team.^[6]

2006–07 season[link]

On January 24, 2007, Ellis hit his first career game-winning shot as time expired to give the Warriors a 110–109 victory over the New Jersey Nets.^[7]

On January 31, he was selected to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge during the NBA's All-Star weekend. He scored a dunk-filled 28 points in a win for the sophomore team on 13 for 16 shooting. He was edged out by David Lee and Chris Paul for the game's MVP honors.

On February 24, Ellis recorded a career-high 13 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers.^[8]

On April 26, he received the NBA's Most Improved Player Award after averaging 16.5 points per game, a substantial increase from his average of 6.8 points per game as a rookie, edging out Sacramento Kings shooting guard Kevin Martin by three votes and beating teammate Andris Biedriņš. Ellis's points-per-game average compared to the previous season (6.8 to 16.5), an increase of 9.7, beat out Martin's increase of 9.4 (10.8 to 20.2).^[9]

Ellis was part of the rotation of the Warriors that beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, becoming the first eight-seeded team to beat a one-seeded team in a best-of-seven series. The Mavericks had the best record in the NBA and were tied 6th all time having a record of 67–15, but the Warriors as an eight-seeded team with a record of 42–40 beat the one-seeded team Mavericks 4–2 in the first round series. However, the Warriors lost in the Western Conference Semi-finals to the Utah Jazz 4–1.

2007–08 season[link]

On January 24, 2008, Ellis scored 39 points (13-for-18 shooting from the field, 13-for-14 free-throw shooting) against the New Jersey Nets, exactly one year to-the-day of his first ever game-winning shot, which also came against the Nets.^[10]

Ellis became the ninth guard in league history to average at least 20 points per game while averaging 60 percent from the field in a single month after making 60.2 percent of his shots in February, 2008. He was honored after the last game of the month by assistant coach Sidney Moncrief, one of the eight other players to achieve the feat; the other guards to perform this feat were John Stockton, Ricky Pierce, Earl Monroe, Jim Paxson, Fred Brown, Sidney Moncrief, Brad Davis, and Steve Nash.^[11][12] Ellis also scored over 30 points in the month of February for four games straight.

Ellis had a career-high average of shooting 53.1% from the field.

2008–09 season[link]

Ellis in action against the Phoenix Suns on March 15, 2009

On August 26, 2008, it was revealed that Ellis had torn a ligament in his left ankle. Ellis underwent successful surgery on August 27 to repair a torn deltoid ligament in his left ankle,^[13] after he informed the club that he had injured himself working out. Warriors general manager Chris Mullin revealed through an interview that Ellis received his injury during a pick-up game in a gym within his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. However, as was suspected during weeks of speculation, he was injured in a low-speed moped accident.^[14] Because dangerous activity such as this violates Paragraph 12 of his player contract, the Warriors organization opted to suspend Ellis for 30 games, the approximate number of games he expected to miss.^[15][16][17] In addition, the Warriors maintained the option to void his contract in the event his recovery had been unsuccessful.^[18] Initial reports stated that he would be out for at least three months from the date of his ankle surgery, although because of the suspension the earliest Ellis could play in a game was December 26.^[19] Ellis returned from his injury on January 23 in a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and scored 20 points with three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.^[20]

After starting slowly in February, Ellis took several games off, and showed marked improvement in March, during which he averaged 23.5 points per game, shooting 49% from the field and 87% from the free-throw line. Ellis opened the month of April by scoring 42 points, while also adding nine rebounds and nine assists in an overtime win against the Sacramento Kings.^[21]

2010–11 season[link]

In July, prior to the 2010–2011 season, Ellis married Juanika Amos Ellis in Memphis, Tennessee.^[22]

On October 27, 2010, Ellis recorded 46 points (18-of-24 FG, 1-of-2 3pt, 9-of-12 FT) with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in Golden State's 132–128 win over the Houston Rockets.

On December 14, 2010, Ellis poured in 34 points on 13-of-24 shooting during the Warriors' 108–99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[23]

On December 20, 2010, Ellis scored 44 points (15-of-20 FG, 3-of 4 3pt, 11-of-14 FT) with a rebound, 7 assists, 2 steals, and played 42 minutes despite a 112–121 loss at home vs. the Houston Rockets.

Ellis was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 20 – Dec. 26 while averaging 39.7 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Ellis and the Golden State Warriors had 2 wins against the Sacramento Kings (117–109) on December 21, 2010 and the Portland Trail Blazers (109–102) on December 25, 2010, but 1 loss against the Houston Rockets (112–121) on December 20, 2010.

On January 7, 2011, Ellis scored a game-high 32 points (10-of-21 FG, 4-of-5 3pt, 8-of-8 FT) with 10 assists, two rebounds, three steals and six turnovers in Golden State's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.^[23] The score was 116–98.

On January 19, 2011, Ellis scored 36 points (16-of-28 FG, 2-of-3 3pt, 2-of-3 FT) with 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers in Golden State's 110–108 win over the Indiana Pacers.^[24] Ellis made a game-winning jumper over Brandon Rush for the Warriors while going on an isolation play with Brandon Rush guarding him.^[25]

On January 21, 2011, two days after he made a game-winning jumper, Ellis made a jumper against the Sacramento Kings with Tyreke Evans guarding him to send the game to overtime.^[26] Ellis finished with 28 points (12-of-29 FG, 1-of-6 3pt, 3-of-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and a block despite having 7 turnovers. Ellis played 49 minutes throughout the whole game, but he rolled his left ankle on Donte Greene. The Warriors finished this game with a 119–112 win.^[27] Ellis would play the next game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

2011–12 season[link]

On February 7, 2012, Ellis scored a career high- 48 points (18-of-29 FG, 3-of-6 3pt, 9-of-10 FT) with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in a 119–116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ellis had 30 points at the half and 40 midway through the 3rd quarter.^[28]

Monta was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played March 5 through March 11. Averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 assists, 2 steals, and 3.5 rebounds, Ellis led the Warriors to a 3-1 record while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from downtown.

Milwaukee Bucks (2012-present)[link]

On March 13, 2012, Ellis, along with Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown, was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.^[29] Ellis played his first game as a Buck the day after the trade, against his old team, the Golden State Warriors, at Oracle Arena. In his debut, he had 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

On March 28, 2012, Monta scored 33 points (15-of-24 FG, 3-of-4 FT), including 17 in the fourth quarter, along with dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds in a win against the Atlanta Hawks.

On April 11, 2012, in a loss against the New York Knicks, Monta lead his team with 35 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]