During the off season In 1966, on a USO tour to Vietnam to entertain American troops. Ellis and two Laker teammates, Darrell Imhoff and Rudy LaRusso, boarded an Army helicopter gunship and flew into a hostile combat zone to spend time with an army combat artillery unit. They landed at Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 13th Artillery, Cu Chi, Vietnam. Soon each of the players was sitting down, casually talking with the men about the war, basketball and home. Before departing, Ellis shot a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer cannon at the North Vietcong enemy. Upon his return from Vietnam, Ellis was traded to the Baltimore Bullets.

With Ellis back on the team the Lakers proved unstoppable during the 1971-72 season with a total of 69 wins. Not only did they win the NBA Championship but they recorded the longest winning streak in pro-sports history (33 games), a record that remains unbroken. During the off season Ellis was traded to the 76ers where he played four more years before retiring after 14 seasons in the NBA. At the close of his NBA career in 1976, Ellis had amassed career totals of 10,176 points and 8,709 rebounds. The Lakers struggled eight more years before winning another NBA Championship.Career Totals