Former KU forward Perry Ellis was injured in what proved to be a short-lived run through the TBT tournament last week with Self Made in Wichita, bringing into question the status of Ellis’ immediate professional future.
Just nine days before Self Made’s Round 1 loss, Ellis inked a new contract with Osaka Evessa club in Japan for the upcoming season.
Now, he’s awaiting surgery and rehab and wondering where his next opportunity might come.
The former KU All-American, who spent the early portion of his pro career playing in the NBA’s G League as well as overseas in Australia, Italy, Germany and Turkey, revealed this weekend the extent of his injury in a YouTube video that was not exactly Ellis’ idea.
“My girlfriend’s kind of making me do this,” Ellis said with a laugh. “Not gonna lie. But, nah, I’ve got a lot of time on my hands now so I think it’ll be kind of cool to do this. This is a way I can keep people updated on my journey (of) trying to return back to the court.”
The injury — a tear of the patellar tendon in Ellis’ right knee — happened shortly after Self Made’s opening game tipped off.
“Basically, I was just falling backwards,” Ellis said. “I looked back at the clip and that’s really all that happened. I’m falling backwards, trying to catch myself on my right leg and so much weight was on the back I guess it just gave away. I remember falling and looking over at my mom, looking over at her and I said, ‘It’s a wrap.'”
In the video, Ellis explained that he knew right away that it was his patellar tendon.
“Sure enough, I went to the hospital and that’s what it was,” he said. “When I looked down at my knee, I said, ‘Yo, it looks like I’ve got a (disproportionate) knee like a camel. This ain’t looking right. Something looks crazy.'”
Ellis, who has played professionally in the NBA’s G League, as well as in Australia, Turkey and Germany, said the injury will keep him from going to Japan and instead force him to rehab and recover while looking for his next opportunity to play professional ball.
“That’s basketball,” he said. “And now it’s just time to get better. It’s a new obstacle in my way and now I’m just trying to get better and get back to what I was.”
The former KU forward who will turn 26 in September said his immediate future holds a lot of Xbox and icing of his knee until the swelling goes down enough to have surgery.
He plans to track his journey with [1] throughout the process and said he was appreciative of all of the love he had received since the injury occurred.
“Last but not least, I want to thank everybody for the support and prayers and all the messages,” Ellis said at the end of his video. “This is my way to kind of keep up with you all and kind of keep you guys in the loop.”
Ellis played last season at Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi in Turkish BSL league and averaged 13.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Ellis also played for Oliver Baskets (BBL) in the German league, where in 12 games he recorded averages of 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He also played 9 games in the FIBA Europe Cup, where he averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIQ4Wt8QO1QldS2XCt1MWWg
