Mario Elie

Mario Elie
Born	Mario Antoine Elie (1963-11-26) November 26, 1963 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Other names	"Junkyard Dog"
Occupation(s)	Basketball player, coach
Years active	1986–2001 (player), 2003–present (coach)
Known for	NBA player, three-time NBA champion

Mario Antoine Elie (born November 26, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player and coach who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Growing up in New York City, Elie played collegiate basketball at American International Yellow Jackets men's basketball before being chosen in the seventh round of the 1985 NBA draft (160th overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Elie's professional journey started in 1986 with Ireland's Killester Basketball Club. His career also included playing stints in Portugal, Argentina, and various U.S. minor leagues such as the USBL, CBA, and WBL. He made his NBA debut in 1990 with the Philadelphia 76ers and later played for the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns. Renowned for his defensive prowess and grit, Elie secured three NBA titles: two with the Rockets (1994, 1995) and one with the Spurs (1999).

After retiring as a player, Elie transitioned into coaching in 2003, serving as an assistant coach for the Spurs. He subsequently held assistant coaching positions with the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, and Orlando Magic.

Early life

Born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, Elie is of Haitian descent. His first name, "Mario," was inspired by opera singer Mario Lanza. He attended Power Memorial Academy where, despite initially being cut from the freshman basketball team, he later joined the junior varsity squad alongside future NBA talent Chris Mullin.

Early career

Passing over by Division I programs, Elie played college basketball at Division II American International College located in Springfield, Massachusetts. There, he led his team to the NCAA Division II Tournament Quarter-Finals and became the institution’s all-time leading scorer. The Milwaukee Bucks selected him 160th overall in the 1985 NBA draft; however, he was released during training camp.

Elie's professional career commenced in 1986 with Killester Basketball Club in Ireland where he earned Player of the Year accolades. He also competed for the Miami Tropics in the USBL and had a brief tenure in Argentina with Unión de Santa Fe. Spending two seasons in Portugal playing for Ovarense, he contributed to winning their inaugural national championship. Between 1989 and 1991, Elie played for the Albany Patroons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), earning All-CBA First Team honors in 1991.

NBA career

Elie made his NBA debut in December 1990 with the Philadelphia 76ers on a 10-day contract, appearing in three games. In February 1991, he signed with the Golden State Warriors where he remained through the end of both the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons. The following year, he joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the 1992–93 season before being traded to the Houston Rockets ahead of the 1993–94 season.

During his time with Houston, Elie earned two NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 and was nicknamed "Junkyard Dog" due to his relentless playing style. A standout moment was his decisive three-point shot in Game 7 of the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Suns, famously known as the "Kiss of Death" because of his provocative celebration. While predominantly a vital bench contributor, Elie started throughout the 1995 NBA Finals, averaging 16.3 points per game on an impressive 65% shooting clip, playing a crucial role in securing the Rockets’ championship.

Elie stayed with Houston through the conclusion of the 1997–98 season before signing with the San Antonio Spurs for two years. The Spurs brought him aboard to inject toughness and an aggressive edge; he started regularly during this period and was instrumental in helping San Antonio capture their first NBA title in 1999.

He concluded his playing career after spending the 2000–01 season with the Phoenix Suns, finishing with career totals of 6,265 points across 732 games played. In recognition of his achievements, Elie was inducted into the New York Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and is ranked among Houston Rockets’ top ten players historically.

Throughout his NBA tenure, Elie was esteemed as a dependable clutch performer known for his defensive intensity, competitive spirit, and consistent outside shooting ability.

Coaching career

Elie began his coaching journey on September 28, 2007, when he was appointed as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, a position he held for one season. Later, on June 22, 2009, he was named assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings by Paul Westphal. On December 8, 2011, Elie became part of the coaching staff under former teammate Avery Johnson with the New Jersey Nets. Subsequently, on June 26, 2015, he joined the Orlando Magic as an assistant coach.

Personal life

Elie is married to Gina Gaston, a journalist and anchor for Houston's ABC13. Together, they are parents to triplets.

He is fluent in four languages: English and French due to his Haitian-Creole heritage, Portuguese from his professional basketball tenure in Portugal, and Spanish acquired during his time playing in Argentina.

In December 2010, Elie faced legal issues when he was arrested in Sacramento on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 3 || 0 || 6.7 || .286 || .500 || .500 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Golden State | 30 || 0 || 20.8 || .507 || .375 || .500 || 3.6 || 1.5 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Golden State | 79 || 32 || 21.2 || .521 || .329 || .852 || 2.9 || 2.2 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 7.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Portland | 82 || 7 || 21.4 || .458 || .349 || .855 || 2.6 || 2.2 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 67 || 8 || 24.0 || .446 || .355 || .860 || 2.7 || 3.1 || 0.7 || 0.1 || 9.3 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 81 || 13 || 23.4 || .499 || .398 || .842 || 2.4 || 2.3 || 0.8 || 0.1 || 8.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 45 || 16 || 30.8 || .504 || .323 || .852 || 3.4 || 3.1||1.0||0.2||11.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;" | Houston |"78"|"77"|"34,4"|"497"|"420"|"896"|"3,0"|"4,0"|"1,2"|"0,2"|"11,7" |- |"73"|"59"|"27,2"|"452"|"291"|"833"|"2,1"|"3,0"|"1,1"|"0,1"|"8,4" |- style="background:#afe6ba;" | | | | | | | | | | | |- style="background:#afe6ba;" | | | | | | | | | | | |- style="background:#afe6ba;" | | | | | | | | | | |

|- class="sortbottom" |"732"|"395"|"25,5"|"473"|"365"|"854"|"28"|"26"|"09"|"02"|"86"

Playoffs

Season	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	TS%	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PIR
1991	9	21.9	.500	1.000	.844	3.6	1.4	0.6	0.1	9.3
1992	4	20.0	.639	1.000	.667	5.5	2.5	1.3	0.0	12.5
1993	4	13.0	.500	1.000	.889	1.5	1.0	0.5	0.3	5.0
1994	23	16.6	.396	.313	.851	1.7	1.7	0.3	0.1	5.8
1995	22	28.9	.504	.431	.795	2.8	2.5	1.0	0.0	9.1
1996	8	29.1	.439	.375	.917	2.8	1.8	0.9	—	4.0	9.8
1997	16	37.4		466		400		839		35		38		09		11,5
1998	5	26.6		444		333		667		26		12		04		66
1999	17	30.9		384		267		837		35		29		13		01		79
2000	4	28.8		273		143		944		43		18		13		00		75
2001	4	25.8		452		154		750		33		18		08		03		90
Career	57	26.3	452	367	836	2.9	2.3	0.8	0.1	8.5