Ex-LA Vet Retires, Joins East Rival’s Coaching Staff

Former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Wayne Ellington has officially moved on to the next phase of his NBA life.

Per the Miami Heat's official Instagram account, the 6'4" swingman out of the University of North Carolina has signed on with the reigning Eastern Conference champions to serve as a Player Development Coach on their staff, thus concluding a 13-year pro career.

At 35, Ellington is younger than one active Heat player: six-time All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, who's 37.

Ellington enjoyed two tours of duty in Los Angeles, both with lottery-bound clubs. He suited up during Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant's penultimate season with the team, in 2014-15, and then circled back during the lone year LA has missed the playoffs with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis on its roster, 2021-22. 

Ellington failed to latch on with another NBA franchise following his second stint as a Laker. Across 770 regular season games, he boasts career averages of 8.0 points on .410/.382/.843 shooting splits, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.5 steals a night.