Ennis Whatley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1962 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 178 lb (81 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Phillips (Birmingham, Alabama) |
| College | Alabama (1981–1983) |
| NBA draft | 1983: 1st round, 13th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Kansas City Kings |
| Playing career | 1983–1998 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 3, 2, 1, 4, 8 |
| Career history | |
| 1983–1985 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1985 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1986 | Washington Bullets |
| 1986 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986–1987 | Washington Bullets |
| 1987–1988 | Mississippi Jets |
| 1988 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1988–1989 | Wichita Falls Texans |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1989 | San Miguel Beermen |
| 1990 | Presto Tivolis |
| 1990–1991 | Wichita Falls Texans |
| 1992 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1992–1993 | Hapoel Gvat/Yagur |
| 1993–1995 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1996–1997 | Connecticut Pride |
| 1997 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1997–1998 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Ennis Whatley (born August 11, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Kansas City Kings in the first round (13th pick overall) of the 1983 NBA draft. Whatley played in ten National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons. A 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m), 177-pound (80 kg) guard, he played for the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Bullets, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Whatley's best year as a professional came during the 1986–87 season as a Bullet, when he appeared in 73 games and averaged 8.5 points per game (ppg). In 10 NBA seasons, Whatley played in a total of 385 games and scored 2,150 points, thus averaging 5.6 ppg.
He also holds the record for assists per game in Bulls history, averaging 7 assists per game.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Whatley attended Phillips High School and the University of Alabama. He was friends with NBA player Matt Fish growing up.
Whatley played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the Mississippi Monarchs during the 1987–88 season, the Wichita Falls Texans during the 1988–89 and 1990–91 seasons, and the Connecticut Pride during the 1996–97 season.[1] He was selected as the CBA Playoff/Finals Most Valuable Player in 1991 and named to the All-CBA Second Team in 1989.[1]
Whatley had experienced some success in the Philippines when he played as an import in the Philippine Basketball Association in 1989. In the Reinforced Conference of that season, he helped the San Miguel Beermen become only the second team in PBA history to achieve the Grand Slam by leading them to the third and final conference championship. He came in as a replacement for former Indiana University standout and future Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart, who was sent home after five games.
Whatley would return to the PBA in 1990, playing for Presto Tivoli.
Life After Basketball
Whatley is now a public speaker for Inspire LLP.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
NBA
Source[2]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | Chicago | 80 | 73 | 27.0 | .469 | .000 | .730 | 2.5 | 8.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 8.4 |
| 1984–85 | Chicago | 70 | 44 | 19.8 | .447 | .111 | .791 | 1.4 | 5.4 | .9 | .1 | 5.0 |
| 1985–86 | Cleveland | 8 | 0 | 8.3 | .474 | – | .571 | .9 | 1.6 | .6 | .0 | 2.8 |
| Washington | 4 | 0 | 6.8 | .357 | – | .333 | 1.8 | 1.8 | .0 | .3 | 2.8 | |
| San Antonio | 2 | 1 | 7.0 | .500 | – | – | .0 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | |
| 1986–87 | Washington | 73 | 72 | 24.9 | .478 | .000 | .764 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 1.3 | .1 | 8.5 |
| 1987–88 | Atlanta | 5 | 0 | 4.8 | .444 | – | .750 | .8 | .4 | .4 | .0 | 2.2 |
| 1988–89 | L.A. Clippers | 8 | 0 | 11.3 | .364 | – | .909 | 2.0 | 2.8 | .9 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 1991–92 | Portland | 23 | 0 | 9.1 | .412 | .000 | .871 | .9 | 1.5 | .6 | .1 | 3.0 |
| 1993–94 | Atlanta | 82* | 1 | 12.2 | .508 | .000 | .788 | 1.2 | 2.2 | .7 | .0 | 3.6 |
| 1994–95 | Atlanta | 27 | 2 | 10.8 | .453 | .250 | .625 | 1.1 | 2.0 | .7 | .0 | 2.6 |
| 1996–97 | Portland | 3 | 0 | 7.3 | .500 | – | – | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Career | 385 | 193 | 18.5 | .468 | .097 | .755 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 1.0 | .1 | 5.6 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Washington | 2 | 2 | 16.0 | .250 | – | – | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 3.0 |
| 1992 | Portland | 15 | 0 | 6.4 | .300 | .000 | 1.000 | .7 | .9 | .5 | .0 | 1.1 |
| 1994 | Atlanta | 11 | 0 | 10.3 | .321 | – | .750 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .6 | .0 | 2.2 |
| 1995 | Atlanta | 3 | 0 | 6.3 | .000 | – | – | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 31 | 2 | 8.4 | .281 | .000 | .833 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 1.5 | |
