DALLAS — His eyes looked swollen, red and teary as Lakers reserve guard Wayne Ellington calmly retold what has marked the “lowest of all lows that I’ve ever been at in my life.”
Ellington has lived with the grief ever since learning that his father was murdered nearly two weeks ago in Philadelphia. After taking a leave of absence that entailed missing six games and attending his father’s funeral, Ellington pledged he will dedicate the 2014-15 season to his father.
“He was so ecstatic when I signed with the Lakers before camp. He was telling me how proud he is of me,” said Ellington, who made the Lakers’ roster on a non-guaranteed contract, averaging 7.8 points on 57.1 percent shooting in 20.6 minutes as both a backup shooting and point guard. “I’m leaving it all out there every single day every time I step out on the floor.”
That moment may need to wait. Ellington returned to the Lakers on Thursday evening, but Lakers coach Byron Scott plans to sit him for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center barring any emergency situations, such as injuries or ejections. Scott did not want to disrupt the chemistry formed during the teams’ two-game winning streak.
Scott also believes Ellington would benefit from practicing on Saturday and possibly playing in a D-Fenders game that evening before playing in an NBA game. Scott would not definitively say if he feels ready to play Ellington for Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center.
“He was a little quiet today, which was understandable,” Scott said. “But I think the more he’s with us, the better off he’ll be.”
Ellington believes that will happen because of the support the Lakers gave him. Ellington recalled how Scott gave him a hug when learned about his father’s murder shortly after the Lakers’ win on Nov. 9 against Charlotte. Ellington also credited Scott for encouraging to take his time to grieve and occasionally checking in on him through text messages.
“He said he was going to welcome me with open arms and he’ll be ready when I’m ready,” Ellington said. “There’s no rush. He’s been great.”
So has Kobe Bryant, whom Ellington called “unbelievable as our leader.’
“He reached out every day,” Ellington said of Bryant. “The season hasn’t been going like I’d like it to, but this is family here. They made me feel like that during this entire thing.”
Ellington grew up outside Philadelphia before starring at North Carolna and having numerous stops in his five-year NBA career, including Minnesota (2009-12), Cleveland (2012-13), Memphis (2012-13), Dallas (2013-14) and the Lakers (2014-15). Ellington has a non-guaranteed deal in the offseason, though $581,692 of his contract locks in if he stays on the roster past Dec. 1.
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