Elie, an African American of Haitian descent, grew up in New York City. He was named "Mario" for opera singer Mario Lanza. His father died when he was a child and he was raised by his mother. He has a brother named Clark, who is an amateur basketball player, and a sister named Nancy. Elie attended Power Memorial Academy, where he was a teammate of Chris Mullin. Elie played basketball amateurly in Central Park and other locations in New York City during the 1980s, trying and failing several times to get into the NBA. His nickname on the New York playgrounds was 'The Jedi'. Eventually he played for the World Basketball League, and spent two years in the Continental Basketball Association with the Albany Patroons. In 1991, Elie played his first NBA games, first for the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers briefly before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 1993.
Elie won NBA championships with the Rockets first in 1993-1994 and again in 1994-1995, making some incredible three-point field goals and getting the nickname ''Super Mario''.
Elie notoriously hit a three-pointer, called the 'kiss of death' by Rocket fans, against the Phoenix Suns to send Houston to the Western Conference Finals.
For Rockets' fans, he epitomizes (perhaps more than any other) what "Clutch City" is all about.
Elie played for the Rockets until 1997-98, when he was signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs. He won a third NBA championship when he was part of the Spurs' championship team in 1999. Finally, after playing one season for the Phoenix Suns, he retired.
Elie got married after his playing career ended. He and his wife have triplets; two boys and one girl.
External links
* ClutchFans.net Mario Elie Profile - Houston Rocket Fan SiteBiography courtesy of the brilliant Wikipedia!
