Monta Ellis named Alcorn State basketball GM

Another NBA star is stepping up to the plate and becoming an HBCU basketball general manager. According to a report by ESPN, Monta Ellis is set to become the basketball general manager of Alcorn State University. He joins John Wall and Kendrick Perkins as former NBA players working in athletic administration at HBCUs, with Wall becoming Howard’s basketball general manager and Perkins becoming Jackson State’s basketball general manager.

The move is a homecoming for Ellis, who was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and emerged as one of the greatest basketball players in Mississippi history. In a quote obtained by ESPN, he spoke about the opportunity and expressed his desire to give back to HBCUs and uplift his community.

“Well, this opportunity came to me. Coach Jake Morton reached out and said they were thinking of this idea of me being a general manager. And I was shocked about it at first, but then as I thought about it, I was like, ‘This would be a great opportunity for a lot of kids that would be left out,'” he said. “I have an opportunity to give to some kids that never felt like they had an opportunity to play Division I or go to a college. I have the ability to make that happen being a GM of Alcorn State.

He added, “And I’ve been coaching and training kids for the last 10 years, and I’ve seen a lot of kids that could play and didn’t get scholarships. I just think it’s an opportunity for kids like that and also to give back to the state of Mississippi, trying to bring a lot of in-state kids to keep them at home versus letting them go out of state and to other colleges.”

Alcorn State Athletic director E. D’Wayne Robinson also spoke about the impact that Ellis’s general manager role will have on the recruiting trail.

“It’s almost like an endorsement from someone that endorses a brand product,” Robinson said. “There are certain people out there that it raises the level of respect for that product. And with Monta having the type of gravitas that he has from being a player — he’s been a good guy over the years — the program benefits from his brand. The program benefits from his conversations with other brands. The program benefits from his conversations with other potential student athletes for our program. The program benefits from other folks who may want to support Alcorn State University Athletics because Monta Ellis has said, ‘Hey, I’m here supporting Alcorn State University as a person and with my brand.'”

Alcorn State had a rough 2025-26 season, finishing 9-23 with a 7-11 record in conference. However, they found success in the SWAC tournament, beating Alabama State in the first round, 77-65. But they ultimately lost to Prairie View A&M University, 65 to 56. The Panthers went on to win the SWAC championship and clinch a bid into the NCAA March Madness tournament as a 14 seed.

Ellis brings NBA experience to Alcorn State. He was drafted with the 40th pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, an organization he played with from 2005 to 2012. He shared the backcourt with Stephen Curry during the tail end of his time with the Warriors before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He also played for the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers before retiring in 2017.

He scored 14,858 points in his NBA career and finished his career averaging 17.8 points per game. He also collected 2,874 rebounds (3.5 rpg) and dished out 3,856 assists (4.6 apg).

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