Name: Monta (Mon-tay) Ellis

Team: Golden State Warriors

Position: Shooting Guard/ Point Guard

NBA Statistics: 18.2 (points), 3.9 (assists), 3.8 (rebounds)

Background: Born October 26, 1985, this 25-year-old philanthropist-extraordinaire has not only risen to prominence amongst the lesser fortunate of society, but also within the NBA. As with many other players within the league today, Monta was a legend at his high school.

Attending Lanier High School from 2002-2005, he recorded various commendable feats. He scored a career-best 72 points against Greenwood High School while scoring 42 points against Oak Hill Academy, which was the most ever scored against them by an opposing player.

In his four seasons with the school he averaged 28.9 points, 4.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds and led the team to a 129-16 record winning two state championships in the process. In 2005 he was named Parade Magazine Player of the Year and shortly after decided to forgo college and enter the NBA draft.

He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the 40th overall draft pick in the second round and made the necessary contributions to earn himself a starting spot before the end of the 2005-2006 season.

In his second season he recorded his first game-winning shot in a 110-109 win over the New Jersey Nets and this boosted his coming performances as he claimed the 2006-2007 NBA Most Improved Player Award. He was also instrumental in the Warriors’ first round play-off win over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

Nicknamed the ‘Mississippi Bullet’, Monta continues to be a force in the league with his speed, and accuracy and at present leads in the league in scoring with an average of 30 points per game shooting 55 per cent from the field.