If Melvin Ejim had wanted to take an easier path, he'd be in Europe right now. A team that plays in Germany's top professional basketball league offered him a guaranteed contract this past summer.
But he turned down the offer from the German club in order to vie for a spot on the Orlando Magic's regular-season roster as the team's 14th or 15th man.
"I wanted to take a chance on myself," Ejim said after the Magic's practice Thursday.
Ejim, a 6-foot-6 forward, indeed is taking a chance. If he doesn't earn a spot on Orlando's roster and clears waivers, he'd begin the season playing for the Magic's NBA Development League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks.