American · Tucson, Arizona, USA · Born 2 February 1968Arizona forward and Wildcats' all-time leading scorer who swept every major national player of the year award in 1989 before an NBA career that included a championship and a kidney transplant comeback.
Sean Michael Elliott was born on 2 February 1968 in Tucson, Arizona, and stayed home to play for the Wildcats under coach Lute Olson from 1985 to 1989. He was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in his debut season and broke out as a junior, leading Arizona to its first-ever Final Four appearance in 1988 while being named a consensus All-American. Elliott's senior season in 1988-89 remains one of the greatest individual campaigns in college basketball history: he averaged a career-high 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, swept the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, the AP Player of the Year, the NABC Player of the Year, and the Adolph Rupp Trophy - claiming every major national player of the year honor - and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Pac-10 career scoring record along the way and remains Arizona's all-time leading scorer. Beyond his individual accolades, Elliott represented the United States at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, helping the team defeat the Soviet Union for gold in Madrid. He was selected third overall in the 1989 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, where his No. 32 jersey was later retired alongside his college number at Arizona. Elliott won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 1999, a year after making a remarkable return from a kidney transplant - becoming the first player in major professional sports history to compete after receiving one. He has since worked as a broadcaster for both the Spurs and Arizona Wildcats.
Sweeping every major national college player of the year award in 1989 as Arizona's all-time leading scorer
How They Played
Versatile scoring forward known for a smooth mid-range game, court vision, and clutch shot-making under pressure
Lasting Impact
Regarded as the greatest player in Arizona basketball history, whose senior season sweep of national honors remains one of the most decorated individual campaigns in the sport, later becoming a symbol of resilience with his post-transplant NBA comeback
Career Honours
- 1989 John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Award, and AP Player of the Year
- 1988 NCAA Final Four appearance - Arizona's first ever
- 2x Consensus All-American (1988, 1989)
- 2x Pac-10 Player of the Year (1988, 1989)
American Athletes