LeRoy Ellis
A durable and reliable NBA center who played a key role for the 1973 champion New York Knicks, providing defense and rebounding over a long career.
1940–2012 (age 72)·American basketball player·Birthday: March 10·The Silent Generation
Biography
LeRoy Ellis carved out a 14-year NBA career not with flashy scoring, but with consistent, hard-nosed play in the paint. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, he was a rookie on the team that lost the 1962 Finals to the Celtics. His journey took him through multiple franchises, but his most significant chapter was with the New York Knicks. Acquired in 1972, he provided crucial frontcourt depth behind stars like Willis Reed, helping the Knicks secure their second championship in 1973 with his rebounding and defensive presence. Ellis was the kind of player whose value was fully appreciated by teammates and coaches, a steady professional who outlasted many of his more famous contemporaries.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
LeRoy was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When LeRoy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
LeRoy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2012Died at 72
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Won an NBA championship as a member of the 1972-73 New York Knicks.
- Played in 14 NBA seasons for seven different franchises, appearing in over 1,000 games.
- Led the NBA in total rebounds during the 1974-75 season while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Did You Know?
He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1962 NBA draft, the same year they drafted Jerry West.
He played his college basketball at St. John's University.
After his NBA career, he played professionally in Italy for several seasons.
“My job was to get the ball off the glass and start the break.”
