James Ennis III

BIOGRAPHY

James Ennis III was born on July 1, 1990, in Ventura, California. He is a small forward in the NBA. 

As a freshman at Oxnard College in 2009–10, Ennis was named first-team All-WSC. For his sophomore season, he returned home to play for Ventura College, and in 2010–11, he was named first-team All-California Community College Athletic Association and first-team All-Western State Conference.

For his junior season, Ennis joined the Long Beach State 49ers, and immediately garnered the starting small forward role. In 2011–12, Ennis earned honorable mention All-Big West Conference honors after averaging 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

With the departure of conference player of the year Casper Ware, Ennis became the go-to player for the 49ers in 2012–13. He responded by averaging 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while leading the 49ers to another regular-season Big West championship. At the end of the season, Ennis was named Big West Player of the Year and an AP honorable mention All-American.

On April 5, 2013, Ennis scored a team-high 13 points in the Reese's College All-Star Game, leading the East team to an 87–81 win over the West.

On June 27, 2013, Ennis was selected by the Atlanta Hawks  with the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. His rights were subsequently traded to the Miami Heat on draft night, and he later joined the Heat for the 2013 NBA Summer League. The Heat reportedly wanted Ennis to play for their NBA Development League affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, in 2013–14 but were unable to sign him to the NBA minimum salary of USD$490,180 due to salary cap restrictions. Consequently, the most Ennis would have earned playing in the D-League was USD$25,000, so Ennis made the decision to play overseas in order to support his father, his disabled mother, and his five siblings.

On August 10, 2013, Ennis signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2013–14 NBL season.  Ennis earned All-NBL First Team honors. At the Wildcats MVP Ball, Ennis was crowned the Gordon Ellis Medalist as the club's Most Valuable Player for the 2013–14 season. Ennis appeared in all 33 games for the Wildcats in 2013–14, averaging 21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game whilst shooting 46.8% from the field.

Following the conclusion of the 2013–14 NBL season, Ennis moved to Puerto Rico, where he joined Piratas de Quebradillas for the 2014 BSN season. He appeared in 12 games for the club before returning to the United States in June to attend various NBA workouts. Over those 12 games, he averaged 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

Ennis spent the next couple of years with short stints on the Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Pistons before signing with the Houston Rockets. 

On February 7, 2019, Ennis was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, with Houston receiving the right to swap 2021 second-round picks with the 76ers. He became a key part of Philadelphia's rotation to finish the regular season and during the playoffs. In Game 2 of the 76ers' second-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, Ennis scored 13 points in a 94–89 win. At the season's end, he declined his player option for the 2019–20 season.

On July 12, 2019, Ennis re-signed with the 76ers, agreeing to a two-year, $4.1 million deal with a player option for the second year.