Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi. As a senior in 2004–05, Ellis led Lanier to its second state crown in four years, averaging 38.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 4.5 steals per game for a team that finished 35–2 and No. 3 in the FAB 50 national rankings. During his senior season, Ellis scored 65 points against Greenwood. The schools met again later that season, where Ellis had 72 points, a mark tied for second on the all-time state charts. He also had 46 points against Oak Hill Academy. For his efforts, Ellis was named 2005 EA SPORTS National Player of the Year and Parade co-Player of the Year with Greg Oden. Ellis led Lanier to a 129–16 record in his four seasons as a starter, winning the 4A state championship in both 2002 (33–5) and 2005 and runner-up finishes in 2003 (31–4) and 2004 (30–5). He finished ranked second in state history with 4,167 points, good for 28.7 points per game.\n', '

Ellis originally committed to Mississippi State University, but later decided to enter the NBA draft.\n', '

Ellis was selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He appeared in 46 games as a rookie and made three starts, with all three coming over the last four games of the season. He averaged 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.1 minutes per game. In the Warriors\' season finale on April 19, 2006, Ellis scored a season-high 27 points and had a chance to put the game into overtime, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim, as Golden State lost 105–102 to the Utah Jazz.\n', '

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