Mario Antoine Elie was born on November 26,1963 and is an American basketball coach and former basketball player in the National Basketball Association.
23 Facts About Mario Elie
2.
Mario Elie began his professional basketball career with Ireland's Killester in 1986.
3.
Mario Elie went on to play in Portugal and Argentina, as well as in the USBL, CBA and WBL.
4.
Mario Elie first played in the NBA in 1990 for the Philadelphia 76ers and went on to play for the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns.
5.
Mario Elie, who is of Haitian heritage, was born and raised in the Manhattan borough of New York City.
6.
Mario Elie was named "Mario" for opera singer Mario Lanza.
7.
Mario Elie led AIC to the NCAA Division II Tournament Quarter-Final and became the school's all-time leading scorer.
Related searches
Mario Lanza 8.
Mario Elie was selected with the 160th pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was cut from the team during training camp.
9.
In 1986, Mario Elie started his professional career in Ireland with Killester, where he won Player of the Year honors.
10.
Mario Elie played for the USBL's Miami Tropics, Mario Elie played eight games in Argentina with Union de Santa Fe.
11.
Mario Elie then spent two seasons in Portugal with Ovarense, helping them win their first national title.
12.
Mario Elie won two NBA championships with the Rockets, one in 1994 and one in 1995.
13.
One highlight of Mario Elie's career came when he hit a game-winning three-pointer in Game 7 of the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Suns to break a tie with 7.1 seconds.
14.
The shot is called the "Kiss of Death" by Rockets fans, as Mario Elie made a taunting kissing gesture towards the Suns' bench after the shot.
15.
Mario Elie finished his career with 6,265 points in 732 NBA games.
16.
In 2007, Mario Elie was inducted into the New York Basketball Hall of Fame.
17.
Mario Elie has been named one of the top ten players in Houston Rockets history.
18.
Mario Elie had a reputation as a tough defender, a fierce competitor, and an accurate outside shooter.
19.
On September 28,2007, Mario Elie was hired by the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant coach.
20.
On December 8,2011, Mario Elie was added to former teammate Avery Johnson's coaching staff with the New Jersey Nets.
21.
Mario Elie is married to Gina Gaston, a journalist and anchorwoman for Houston's Channel ABC13.
22.
Mario Elie speaks four languages: English and French from growing up in a Haitian-Creole household, Portuguese from playing pro basketball in Portugal, and Spanish from playing in Argentina.
23.
In December 2010, Mario Elie was arrested in Sacramento, California for allegedly driving while intoxicated.