Mario Antoine Elie (born November 26, 1963) is an American basketball coach and former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elie grew up in New York City and played college basketball at American International College, before being drafted in the seventh round of the 1985 NBA draft as the 160th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. Elie began his professional basketball career with Ireland's Killester in 1986. He went on to play in Portugal and Argentina, as well as in the USBL, CBA and WBL. Elie first played in the NBA in 1990 for the Philadelphia 76ers and went on to play for the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns. A role player known for his defense and toughness, Elie won three NBA championships: two with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995, and one with the Spurs in 1999. Elie began his coaching career in 2003 as an assistant with the Spurs, and later held similar positions with the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, and Orlando Magic. Early life Elie, who is of Haitian heritage, was born and raised in the Manhattan borough of New York City. He was named "Mario" for opera singer Mario Lanza. Elie attended Power Memorial Academy. After being cut from the freshman basketball team, Elie made the junior varsity team the following season; one of his teammates was future NBA star Chris Mullin. Early career After Division I schools failed to recruit him, Elie played college basketball at the Division II level for American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He led AIC to the NCAA Division II Tournament Quarter-Final and became the school's all-time leading scorer. He was selected with the 160th pick (out of 162 total) in the 1985 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was cut from the team during training camp. In 1986, Elie started his professional career in Ireland with Killester, where he won Player of the Year honors. Elie played for the USBL's Miami Tropics, Elie played eight games in Argentina with Unión de Santa Fe. He then spent two seasons in Portugal with Ovarense, helping them win their first national title. He spent the 1989–90 season with the CBA's Albany Patroons. He was named to the All-CBA First Team in 1989–1990 and 1990–1991. NBA career In December 1990, he made his NBA debut, joining the Philadelphia