Man pleads guilty to murdering father of Brooklyn Nets' player in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man described by police as a career criminal has pleaded guilty to the 2014 murder of the father of an NBA star in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
Carl White has been sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.
Action News has learned White pleaded guilty to third degree murder following jury selection on Tuesday.
57-year-old Wayne Ellington, Sr., father of Brooklyn Nets' guard Wayne Ellington, Jr., was found slumped behind the wheel of his car in the 5200 block of Marion Street on November 9, 2014.
Ellington, Jr. spoke to Action News days after his father's death.
"He played a huge role in me playing basketball; he put me in a league at five years old," Ellington, Jr. said.
Hours before his murder, Ellington, Sr. texted his son who was playing with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time.
"He said, 'Ball hard! Get this first win tonight," Ellington, Jr. recalled.
The Lakers went on to win that game, but after the victory, Ellington, Jr. learned of his father's murder.
"I'm devastated. For a son to lose his father is very tough, it's unbelievable. It's crazy, I went from a high to the lowest point of my life," he said.
Ellington, Jr. was a standout basketball player at Episcopal Academy High. He then went on to North Carolina to play before being drafted into the NBA.
Court records revealed White had a long history of crime. He has been arrested and served time for drugs, weapons, attempted murder and other crimes dating back to 1998.
