James Ennis III facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
James Ennis III

Ennis with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019
Free agent
Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1990-07-01) July 1, 1990 (age 34) Ventura, California, U.S.
High school	Ventura (Ventura, California)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College	Oxnard (2009–2010) Ventura (2010–2011) Long Beach State (2011–2013)
NBA Draft	2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50th overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Pro career	2013–present
Career history
2013–2014	Perth Wildcats
2014	Piratas de Quebradillas
2014–2015	Miami Heat
2015–2016	Memphis Grizzlies
2015–2016	→Iowa Energy
2016	Iowa Energy
2016	New Orleans Pelicans
2016–2018	Memphis Grizzlies
2018	Detroit Pistons
2018–2019	Houston Rockets
2019–2020	Philadelphia 76ers
2020–2021	Orlando Magic
2021	Brooklyn Nets
2021–2022	Los Angeles Clippers
2022	Denver Nuggets
2022	Hapoel Haifa
2022–2023	BC Samara
2023	Grises de Humacao
2023–2024	Shijiazhuang Xianglan
2023–2024	Al-Ahli Manama
Career highlights and awards
NBL champion (2014) All-NBL First Team (2014) AP honorable mention All-American (2013) Big West Player of the Year (2013) First-team All-Big West (2013) 2× First-team All-WSC (2010, 2011)

James Alfred Ennis III (born July 1, 1990) is an American professional basketball player. He last played for Shijiazhuang Xianglan in China. James played college basketball for the Long Beach State 49ers. There, he was named the Big West Player of the Year in 2013.

After being picked by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 NBA draft, James played in Australia. He helped the Perth Wildcats win the 2014 NBL championship. In 2014, he started playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Miami Heat. He also played for many other NBA teams. Since 2022, he has played basketball in countries like Israel, Russia, Puerto Rico, China, and Bahrain.

Early Life and School

James Ennis III was born in Ventura, California. He grew up in a place called Westview Village. He and his five brothers and sisters loved to play basketball and soccer. They also enjoyed riding bikes and skateboarding.

When James was young, his family moved a lot. He even went to three different high schools in just his first year! Later, his family settled back in Westview Village. He graduated from Ventura High School in 2009.

College Basketball Journey

James started his college basketball career at Oxnard College in 2009. As a freshman, he was a top player. He scored about 19 points and grabbed 7.7 rebounds per game. This earned him a spot on the first-team All-WSC.

For his second year, he played for Ventura College. He continued to play very well, scoring over 20 points per game. He also got nearly 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He was named first-team All-California Community College Athletic Association. In his two years of junior college, he scored over 1,000 points!

In 2011, James joined the Long Beach State 49ers. He immediately became a starting player. In his first year there, he averaged 10 points and 4.1 rebounds.

For the 2012–13 season, James became the main player for the 49ers. He averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds. He led his team to win the Big West championship again. Because of his great play, he was named Big West Player of the Year. He also received an honorable mention as an All-American.

In April 2013, James played in the Reese's College All-Star Game. He scored 13 points and helped his team win.

Professional Basketball Career

NBA Draft and Early Decisions

On June 27, 2013, James Ennis was picked by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA draft. He was the 50th player chosen overall. His rights were then traded to the Miami Heat. He joined the Heat for the Summer League games.

The Miami Heat wanted James to play for their minor league team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. However, they couldn't offer him a full NBA salary. Playing in the minor league would have paid him much less. James decided to play overseas instead. This allowed him to earn more money to support his father, his mother who had a disability, and his five siblings.

Playing in Australia: Perth Wildcats (2013–2014)

In August 2013, James signed with the Perth Wildcats in Australia. In his very first game, he scored 25 points! This was the most points ever scored by a Wildcat player in their first game. He was named Player of the Month for October.

The Wildcats started the season with eight wins in a row. They finished with the best record in the league. James helped them reach the NBL Grand Final. In Game 1 of the finals, he scored 30 points. The Wildcats went on to win the championship!

James finished third in the league's MVP voting. He was also named to the All-NBL First Team. He played in all 33 games for the Wildcats. He averaged 21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

Short Stop in Puerto Rico (2014)

After playing in Australia, James moved to Puerto Rico. He played for Piratas de Quebradillas. In 12 games, he averaged 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. He then returned to the U.S. to try out for NBA teams.

Joining the Miami Heat (2014–2015)

In July 2014, James signed a deal with the Miami Heat. He played well in the NBA Summer League.

He made his NBA debut on October 29, 2014. He scored 5 points and had 2 rebounds. In December, he had his best game of the season with 16 points and 8 rebounds. He later scored 17 points in a game against the Indiana Pacers. In the last game of the season, he played the whole game. He scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and had 6 assists.

In his first NBA season, James played in 62 games. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Time with the Memphis Grizzlies (2015–2016)

In November 2015, James was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He didn't get much playing time with the Grizzlies at first. This was because the team had many strong players in his position.

He spent most of the 2015–16 season playing in the NBA Development League (now G-League). This is a league where players can improve their skills. He played for the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies' minor league team. In his first game for the Energy, he scored 32 points! In March 2016, the Grizzlies decided to let him go.

Back to Iowa Energy (2016)

After leaving the Grizzlies, James rejoined the Iowa Energy. He continued to play very well. In one game, he scored 30 points and had 7 rebounds. In another, he had 24 points and 10 rebounds. He helped the team win six games in a row. In 24 games for Iowa, he averaged 18.8 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Playing for the New Orleans Pelicans (2016)

In March 2016, James signed a short contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. The team had many injured players. He made his debut for the Pelicans right away. He scored 13 points, had 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

He quickly showed what he could do. In April, he scored a career-high 29 points in one game. Two days later, he scored 28 points in another game. He signed with the Pelicans for the rest of that season.

Return to Memphis (2016–2018)

Ennis during the 2017 off-season

In July 2016, James signed a two-year contract to return to the Memphis Grizzlies. In the first game of the season, he scored 15 points. A few days later, he had 8 points and tied his career high with 12 rebounds. He also had a great game against his old team, the Pelicans, with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

James started in many games for the Grizzlies. He missed some games due to a calf injury. Overall, he played in 64 games that season. He averaged 6.7 points and 4 rebounds per game. In November 2017, he scored a season-high 15 points.

Moving Around the NBA (2018–2022)

In February 2018, James was traded to the Detroit Pistons. In his first game, he scored 14 points. He later scored a season-high 21 points in a game against the Orlando Magic.

In July 2018, James signed with the Houston Rockets. He started in many games for them. In November, he scored a season-high 19 points. He missed some games due to a hamstring injury.

In February 2019, James was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He became an important player for the team. He helped them in the playoffs. In one playoff game, he scored 13 points. He re-signed with the 76ers in July 2019. In November, he scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half of a game against the New York Knicks.

In February 2020, James was traded to the Orlando Magic. He became a starting player for them. His addition helped the Magic play better. He continued to start games when the league restarted after the COVID-19 break. He re-signed with the Magic in November 2020. He missed some games due to a hamstring injury. In February 2021, he had 17 points and 10 rebounds. In April, he set a new season high with 22 points.

In December 2021, James signed short contracts with a few more NBA teams. He played two games for the Brooklyn Nets. Then, he played two games for the Los Angeles Clippers. Finally, he played three games for the Denver Nuggets in January 2022.

Playing Overseas Again (2022–Present)

After his time in the NBA, James Ennis continued his basketball career overseas.

• In March 2022, he signed with Hapoel Haifa in Israel.
• In August 2022, he joined BC Samara in Russia. He played 30 games there, averaging 14.2 points and 4.9 rebounds.
• In May 2023, he played for Grises de Humacao in Puerto Rico. In 12 games, he averaged 17.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.
• In July 2023, James joined Shijiazhuang Xianglan in China. He averaged over 30 points per game in 17 games!
• For the 2023–24 season, he also played for Al-Ahli Manama in Bahrain. He helped them reach the final of a big cup. He scored 30 points in a semi-final game.
• He returned to play for Shijiazhuang Xianglan in China for the 2024 season.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: James Ennis para niños