After the end of the senior season, Elder was automatically eligible for the 2005 NBA draft, but he was not selected by an NBA franchise, despite some sources mentioned him as a possible second-round pick. In July 2005 Elder played for the San Antonio Spurs in the Rocky Mountain Revue, an NBA Summer League tournament played in Salt Lake City, Utah: in 5 games he averaged 3.2 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 14 minutes per game. The Spurs ultimately did not sign him, and Elder joined German team Gießen 46ers, where he made his professional debut. He played 26 games during the 2005–06 Bundesliga, starting 24, and averaged 12.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game, with a career high of 29 points against EnBW Ludwigsburg posted on December 10, 2005.