Miami Heat’s James Ennis Talks NBL-To-NBA Journey [VIDEO]
James Ennis could have gone anywhere in the world to play after being drafted in the second-round of the 2013 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, and then consequently being traded to the then defending champions, Miami Heat, on draft night.
The Heat wanted Ennis to remain with their D-League affiliate, but they were unable to sign him to the NBA minimum salary of $490,180 due to salary cap restrictions.
Ennis made the decision to support his family by making a larger paycheck than what the D-League could offer, and instead of heading to Europe, he chose Australia and the Perth Wildcats of the NBL.
The decision shocked a few, but it turned out okay for the forward out of Long Beach State. He won numerous awards – including a championship – in Australia before LeBron James’ departure for Cleveland fortuitously opened a door for Ennis to join the Miami Heat for this current NBA season.
Ennis is averaging 3.2 points in just over 10-minutes per game, but he’s shown flashes of what he is capable of with some more seasoning.
Starting5online caught up with Ennis prior to Monday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets to talk to him about his journey from the NBL to the NBA, playing for the Perth Wildcats, the Josh Childress incident, plus more.
Watch the video below.