Seven Canadian basketball players are in the running for the American NBA draft this week, three of them in the first round.
This is the most ever, from James Naismith’s home. Naismith, the inventor of basketball in 1891, was born in Almonte, Ontario, not far from Ottawa.
20-year-old Tyler Ennis from Brampton, Ontario is pretty confident about his future chances.
“I always knew I was going to make it to the NBA,” he told the CBC’s Nick Purdon.. “A lot of people told me, you know, it’s not realistic. You’ve just got to believe, really. There was never really a moment when I said I’m not going to make it to the NBA.”
NBA teams draft just 60 players from around the world each year. Only half of these will even get a shot at basketball stardom and the big money that comes with it.
23-year-old Melvin Ejim of Toronto, is another contender but he isn’t so sure of his future. He’s not a first rounder so his name may not get called. Many of the big-league scouts aren’t convinced of his ability despite his star-status at Iowa State this year.
“I feel so close. I feel that I’ve done everything possibly that I could do, and I’m so close, I’m looking at it,” says Ejim. “Not making it would be tough.”
The NBA draft starts tomorrow
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