Eisley graduated from Southwestern High School in Detroit, where he was teammates with future NBA players Jalen Rose and Voshon Lenard, and played for the Boston College Eagles basketball team for four years before being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round in 1994. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in communications. In his senior season, Eisley led the Eagles to the eastern regional finals or "Elite Eight" round of the 1994 NCAA tournament and earned regional All-Tournament honors.
Career
As a rookie in 1994–95, Eisley started in four games for the Timberwolves out of 34. With average playing time of 14.6 minutes per game, Eisley averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 assists. On February 26, 1995, Eisley signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the San Antonio Spurs. He signed for the rest of the season on March 18, and was released on April 14. In 15 games and 56 minutes with the Spurs, Eisley recorded 7 points and 18 assists. Eisley began the next season with the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association before signing with the Utah Jazz, who sought a point guard to back up John Stockton and to replace the injured Jamie Watson. Previously, Eisley was the final player cut from Jazz training camp. By December 1995, Eisley had the top free throw percentage in the CBA. In seven games with the Lightning, Eisley improved his performance: in 24 minutes per game, he averaged 12.4 points and 3.3 assists. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan commented that Eisley was "a focused young man" and: "So many people play with their athletic ability alone and forget to play with the other people on the court. He's adjusted as quickly to what we're doing as anybody we've had." Eisley was known for his quiet manner. In the first half of Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Eisley made a 3-point shot that replays clearly showed was released before the shot clock expired. Referee Dick Bavetta mistakenly disallowed the shot. The Chicago Bulls would beat the Utah Jazz in that game 87-86 and win the championship series four games to two. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2000 season. He was traded to the New York Knicks in 2001. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2003. On November 3, 2004, the first day of the regular season for the Utah Jazz, Eisley signed a $1.1 million, one-year contract with the team, for which he played five seasons from 1995 to 2000. He scored four points and made three assists, and the Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-78. In 74 games, Eisley averaged 19.3 minutes, 5.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Among his milestones in his comeback season with the Jazz included his 700th career game, 5,000th career point, and a career-high eight defensive rebounds. In 19 games, Eisley led the Jazz in assists. 2005–06 was Eisley's final NBA season; he played in the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets this season. On November 17, 2005, Eisley signed as a free agent with the Clippers. In 13 games with the Clippers, Eisley averaged 0.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The Clippers, having experimented with a three-guard lineup as Corey Maggette was out due to injury, released Eisley on January 3, 2006. Following two 10-day contracts, the Nuggets kept Eisley for the rest of the season from March 23, 2006. With the Nuggets, Eisley played in 19 games and averaged 4.8 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. On July 20, 2006, the Nuggets traded Eisley to the Chicago Bulls, but the Bulls later waived him. In 2010, Eisley became a player development assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards on September 4, 2014. Following a three year stint as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Eisley joined Juwan Howard's staff at the University of Michigan as an assistant coach.
