On to Miami | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas native Kel’el Ware, a former Indiana and Oregon center, will get a chance to live out his lifelong dream of being a professional basketball player.
The 7-0, 242-pounder was selected as the No. 15 pick by the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in the first round of the NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ware, who was a 2022 McDonald’s All-American after posting up gaudy numbers at North Little Rock High School, is the Hoosiers’ 28th player to be selected in the opening round of the annual draft and is expected to be add immediate defensive help on the interior to the Heat alongside All-Star forward Bam Adebayo.
Miami’s decision to select Ware marked the third straight year it chose to exercise a first-round pick. In 2023, the Heat chose former UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. at No. 18 and went with Nikola Jovic of Serbia with the No. 27 selection in 2022.
“I feel like I’ll be able to fit in well with the Heat, playing the five position to help Bam, with him potentially going to the four and just being able to space the floor out,” Ware told members of the media after the selection Wednesday night.
Ware, 20 was a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps team in each of his final three high school seasons, including a first-team designation as a senior in 2022. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Class 6A state title game as a junior for the Charging Wildcats.
The former 5-star standout was recruited by several NCAA Division I Power 5 schools but ultimately decided to sign with the University of Oregon, where he averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in nearly 16 minutes of action per game as a freshman. However, he decided to enter the transfer portal shortly after his initial season and eventually signed with Indiana in 2023.
During his lone season with the Hoosiers, Ware averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 30 games. He shot 58.6% from the field and was named second-team All-Big Ten. He also connected on nearly 43% of his three-point attempts.
“I feel like I can always add more to my shooting, always,” Ware said. “It’s nothing to stop working on. I feel like I can add that to my game.”
As a part of the rookie scale, Ware is projected to earn $3.53 million next season with Miami, which finished 46-36 last season and advanced to the first round of the NBA playoffs before falling to eventual champion Boston.
