JERUSALEM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli basketball Super League club Hapoel Haifa has signed former NBA player James Ennis, the club announced on Monday.
The 31-year-old small forward played college basketball at Oxnard, Ventura, and Long Beach State Beach before being picked 50th by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 NBA draft. He was traded to the Miami Heat shortly after starting his NBA career.
In the league, James Ennis played for the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Denver Nuggets, where he played in January under a 10-day contract.
Ennis has shown up in 395 regular-season games, averaging 6.7 points, 0.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. He also played 22 NBA playoffs, averaging 7.6 points, 1.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds.
Aiming to qualify for the eight-team playoffs, Hapoel Haifa now rank seventh in the 12-team Israeli league with a record of 9-8.
"There is no doubt that James is one of the most impressive players arriving in Israel ever," said Hapoel Haifa's president Yuval Rusman.
"He will give us the power to get as far as possible this season," added the club's head coach Elad Hasin. ■
