NBA Veteran Elliot Perry to Deliver the Commencement Address to the Southwest Tennessee Community College 2015 Graduating Class

For more information, contact:
Brenda J. Rayner
901-333-4247
bjrayner@southwest.tn.edu

Hometown favorite and NBA Veteran Elliot Lamonte Perry is the speaker for Southwest's 2015 Commencement Ceremony to be held on May 2 at the Landers Center in Southaven, MS, at 10:30 a.m. Perry is a Treadwell High School graduate (1987). He went on to play for Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) where he started every game of his four-year collegiate career (1987-91) with the Tigers, leading Memphis to four-postseason tournaments, and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

He is the University of Memphis' second all-time leading scorer, with 76 wins over his career. Perry is one of only six players to have their jersey retired for the Tigers.

After graduating with a degree in marketing in 1991, Perry was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Nicknamed "Socks" after his trademark knee-highs, Elliot played 10 years in the NBA.

During his NBA career, Perry played 547 games with seven teams: Los Angeles Clippers (1991), Charlotte Hornets (1991-92), Phoenix Suns (1994-96), Milwaukee Bucks (1996-98), New Jersey Nets (1999), Orlando Magic (2000), Phoenix Suns (2000-01), and Memphis Grizzlies (2002). He averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 assists per game for his career. His best season came in 1994-95 with the Phoenix Suns when he averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, played all 82 games and was runner-up for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award following the season. Perry appeared in 17 career NBA Playoff games.

After retirement, Elliot served as a player representative with the NBA Players Association in 2004. On October 8, 2005, he began a new chapter in his life when he joined the Memphis Grizzlies ownership team. Perry also joined the Grizzlies radio broadcasting team as a commentator in the 2006-07 season. Perry lives in Germantown, TN, with his wife, Kimberly, and their daughter Morgan. He enjoys movies, music, bowling, and golf. Perry is a very active board member of the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation, which provides mentorship opportunities for Memphis youth and also serves on a number of boards including the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM), Teach For America (TFA), Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM), New Hope Christian Academy, and is currently the chair of the Grizzlies Foundation Board. He is heavily involved in charity work in Memphis and many philanthropic endeavors.

Perry is also an avid collector of contemporary African-American artwork. He began his extensive art collection in 1996. He is passionate for the artwork he buys and the artists he supports. He desires to provide a visible platform through the eyes of some of today's young artists and challenges himself and others on how they think about history, culture and art.